At a time when the world is grappling to contain COVID-19, residents of a sleepy hamlet near the Line of Control (LoC) in Ladakh Union Territory (UT) have taken the lead in controlling the spread of the deadly coronavirus through an innovative method.
“Don’t enter this village without washing your hands,” greets visitors at the entrance of Latoo village of the newly carved UT of Ladakh. The message, written in both English and Urdu, stresses on washing hands before entering the hamlet that has 40-45 houses.
The villagers have come up with the novel method to fight the coronavirus after the region was badly hit by the epidemic. So far, 13 people have tested positive for the COVID-19 in Ladakh UT, which was part of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir before October 31, 2019.
Chief Executive Councillor of Kargil Hill Council, Feroz Khan, said the locals are not allowing outsiders to enter the village without washing their hands. “This is a very appreciable step. People in Kargil are at the forefront of the battle against coronavirus,” he said.
The Deputy Commissioner of Kargil, Baseer-ul-Haq Choudhary, while hailing the initiative of the villagers, tweeted: “Role model# residents of Latoo village decided not allowing anyone without handwashing into their village. More villages to come forward.# FightagainstCOVID19# More power to them (sic).”