Imagining social distancing in rural India

How challenging can “social distancing” be in our villages?

Life in a village is quite different. People live and grow there as a community. You could find around 100 families using a single tube well for drinking water. There is a single community pond for bathing and other household work for the entire village. There could be a single grocery store in the village. One is constantly collecting fodder and firewood, or grazing cattle together with one’s neighbors.

How can you change that overnight? It is important to reach out to the remote villages and raise awareness around COVID-19 and physical distancing. It is also necessary to come up with creative ways in which to implement physical distancing taking into account local conditions which may not be applicable in other parts of the world. AID’s partner MBBCDS in the Birbhum district of West Bengal is conducting this awareness campaign in 17 villages. They have identified common tube wells, ponds, grocery stores, PDS and are guiding people to maintain physical distancing while out in the community for essential regular activities. Support such work to reach the last mile in India!

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