Corpn turns to celebrities to make us follow Covid rules

CHENNAI: The second wave of Covid-19 is different from the first and Greater Chennai Corporation has changed its awareness drive to step up guard. As Chennai residents continue to flout Covid-19 safety regulations, GCC has started intensifying digital awareness campaigns by roping in celebrities. The campaigns range from stars holding discussions to creating awareness videos on Covid appropriate behavior.
All basics such as how to wear a face mask, the number of days one should be in quarantine, the ways to keep check on symptoms when in home quarantine and when to get a CT scan done are answered by celebrities and the videos posted on GCC’s social media pages. The first such video interview, between ‘Master’ film lead Malavika Mohanan and Jayanthi Rangarajan, the dean of Omandurar multispecialty hospital, has garnered more than 45,000 views within a few hours.
Alby John, deputy commissioner - health, of GCC, said they are in talks with multiple other celebrities to move forward with the initiative. “We have already tied up with cricketers, they’ve sent us the awareness videos. We wanted to try this out as more people tend to listen to celebrities and follow their advice. We hope more people will now wear masks, protect themselves and their families from Covid-19. This will also help clear most prevalent doubts and leave little room for misinformation,” he said.
The civic body is planning to approach Instagram influencers and YouTubers next. “The way people perceive information has changed. It used to be print and TV media, now it's largely through social media. So we want influencers to take forward our message,” he added.
An official handling the city corporation’s social media pages said videos posted on the handles usually don’t cross 1,000 views. “Our pages are extremely informative but since the reach was less, this move will help boost traffic, and ultimately awareness. If people followed our advice, half the issues will be resolved. People are actively using social media for SOS messages during the second wave, so social media should be our tool now,” said the official.
The civic body we will continue distributing awareness pamphlets and send out fever surveillance workers and focus volunteers to increase awareness about various Covid-19 protocol.