In an incident which shows how the fear of coronavirus (COVID-19) has become all-pervasive, a man riding a motorbike was thrashed in Kolhapur city of Maharashtra on Thursday just because he sneezed in public.
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A CCTV video of the fracas, which took place in Gujari area of the city, went viral on social media, though the local police said no complaint had been registered.
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The video showed that a bike-rider stopping and asking another rider on the road why he sneezed without covering his face with a handkerchief as it could cause the spread of the coronavirus.
It led to a heated exchange, and the man who had allegedly sneezed was beaten up.
The incident led to a traffic jam as many other vehicles stopped, though it was not reported to the police. Maharashtra has reported at least 49 confirmed coronavirus patients so far, including one who died.
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According to the World Health Organisation, the virus can spread through spitting, sneezing or coughing or physical contact with an infected person.
