Residents of Cemetery Road Naalu Aduku Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) were in for a surprise on Tuesday, when Mickey Mouse came to check their temperature. Children jumped in joy when they saw the popular cartoon character knocking on doors in their locality.
It was only later that they realized that this was an initiative by the Greater Chennai Corporation and an NGO working in the area, to allay fears surrounding COVID-19 testing and treatment.
There are over 250 families living in the TNSCB tenements and the GCC has roped in an NGO, Goodwill, for a community intervention programme in Thoraipakkam and Kilpauk.
“We dressed Mr. Vijay, the fever surveyor in the locality, as Mickey Mouse. He was wearing a mask and gloves inside the costume. He went door to door to check for fever. The residents did not have any fear and happily agreed to get checked,” said S. Kalairasan, area engineer, division 102, Zone 8.
A little later, the residents heard a V illu Pattu recital and rushed outside to see what was happening. The NGO staff members gave a performance to create awareness about COVID-19 and to dispel myths surrounding the infection.
“Through Villu Pattu song, we dispelled fears about going to the hospital for COVID-19 treatment. Many were under the impression that food is not provided in hospitals. We also educated people not to ill-treat COVID-19 patients and their families. Instead we appealed to them to provide families with moral support,” said Magnell Marshall, from Goodwill.
Mr. Kalaiarasan added that awareness programmes on maintaining physical distancing and regular hand-washing are conducted frequently in the tenements.
