Skip to main content
Global Edition
Friday, March 29, 2024

Stopping traffic: the "coronahelmet" helping Indian police

Duration: 01:03s 0 shares 1 views

Stopping traffic: the 'coronahelmet' helping Indian police
Stopping traffic: the "coronahelmet" helping Indian police

An Indian traffic policeman has taken virus awareness to new levels by hitting the streets clad in a newly-devised accessory: the 'coronahelmet'.

Edward Baran reports.

A traffic officer stopping drivers is nothing unusual, especially in this time of crisis.

But not like this... Commuters in Chennai are now being pulled over by a cop wearing a 'coronahelmet'.

The startling headwear is painted red with several spikes glued on to represent the virus.

It's worn by officer Rajesh Babu.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) POLICE OFFICER, RAJESH BABU, SAYING: "What we thought was rather than harming or scolding and all that, so let's do it in a better way so that that get into their mind, so we designed this particular helmet which looked like corona and me walking towards them, people have fear." The accessory was the idea of police in Tamil Nadu to raise awareness about the virus.

And to help implement the 21-day lockdown the country is under.

However alarming the helmet may look, it's a rather more benign approach than that taken by officers in Mumbai in recent days....where police beat transgressors with batons.

India has so far reported 803 cases of coronavirus and 20 deaths.

You might like