Jammu: Women Watch Over Village Against Coronavirus

As the world moved indoors, many women continue to fight this pandemic on the frontline. Not just leaders like the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Women at a hamlet in Jammu have taken charge of their protection and have armed themselves with sticks to sustain the lockdown. They are guarding their communities at entry points which are barbed and wired.

Key Takeaways

• Mother and daughters of the hamlet near Jammu city have taken onto themselves to secure their locality.
• The hamlet that they are protecting hold 6,500 dwellings.
• Women try to relieve the police by guarding their villages and lanes to prevent the spread of the infection.
• With 45 red zones in Jammu and Kashmir, the number of contaminated red zones has taken a sharp surge. 

The hamlet lies only a couple of kilometres away from Jammu city. The cases of COVID-19 infection have started spiking in the city. Hence, mothers and daughters of the hamlet have taken onto themselves to secure their loved ones.

Why women continue to guard themselves

It has been a few days since a group of women along with their sarpanch, Gurmeet Kour, have been guarding the hamlet. They secure the entry points from nine in the morning to four in the evening every day along with policemen at the barbed fencing. The hamlet that they are protecting hold 6,500 dwellings.

Gurmeet Kour told PTI that, “COVID-19 is a deadly disease. It is our duty to support our police force and government in this war against coronavirus. So we have taken up the role to guard our small locality and insulate it from any outside contact."

She also expressed her concerns over how some people neglect the lockdown and continue to roam around. She feels that this can put everyone in the locality in danger. Further, she added that they wanted to keep their locality safe since Jammu is witnessing a surge in COVID- 19 cases.

Among these women, a 55-year-old Harmeet mentioned how the police couldn’t practically guard the locality and the villages with its lanes. Therefore, she added that, "We felt it is our duty to contribute a bit by guarding our locality and relieving the police which is performing a large-scale duty in the time of lockdown. At least we can guard our own area."

“COVID-19 is a deadly disease. It is our duty to support our police force and government in this war against coronavirus. So we have taken up the role to guard our small locality and insulate it from any outside contact."

COVID- 19 spreads in Jammu and Kashmir

The number of contaminated red zones has taken a sharp surge. There are now 45 red zones in Jammu and Kashmir. Amongst these zones, 26 are located in Kashmir and the rest have been reported in Udhampur, Rajouri, Samba and Jammu districts.

Also read- How Coronavirus Changed My Life: A Corporate Sector Employee Reveals

Vipashyana Dubey is an intern with SheThePeople