Taking social distancing to a higher level, residents of Peddaganjam in Prakasam district practise social isolation religiously to prevent the spread of the dreaded coronavirus.
The elders in Peddaganjam, a hamlet of Upugundur village, went into huddle after the authorities declared a lockdown across the State, and decided not to go out of the village.
The lockdown is total in the coastal village with the residents, many of them fishermen, voluntarily confining themselves to their homes.
“We will not allow outsiders to enter our village as well till such time the health situation improves,” says a group of villagers in a conversation with The Hindu after putting thorny bushes across the road leading to the village close to the east coast highway to prevent entry of vehicles from outside.
“We are hale and hearty. The dreaded disease can spread only if someone comes from outside. Hence the decision,” they add making a mention of the disease spreading fast across the country after infected non-resident Indians landed in the country.
‘Age-old practice’
“Social isolation is nothing new. It is an age-old practice,” says a village elder M. Nageswara Reddy while referring to social distancing observed by their ancestors to avoid the spread of contagious diseases in the past.
“We will not hesitate to isolate any person infected with communicable disease till such time he or she recovers. This is how they tide over difficult health situation,” adds another village elder A.M. Reddy, while justifying the hard decision taken to tide over the difficult situation. Taking a cue from them, people of neighbouring Pallepalem village have followed suit.
