‘Please Wear Mask Properly And Help Fight COVID-19’, Sand Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik’s New Artwork

New Delhi: Coronavirus crisis is intensifying with each passing day. Till a vaccine comes along masks seem to be the only effective way to protect oneself from the deadly virus. Wearing masks properly, maintaining social distancing and good personal hygiene are what needs to be followed by everyone to keep the virus in check. Reiterating this message, internationally renowned sand artist, Sudarshan Pattnaik created a new artwork to raise awareness about how to wear a mask properly.

With the message ‘Fight Against COVID-19’, the artwork depicts the right way to wear a face mask. The sculpture features two men wearing masks – while one of them wore it incorrectly, below his nose, the other one shows the right way to wear a mask, which covers both his mouth and nose. Sharing the artwork on his social media, Mr. Pattnaik said,

Please! Wear your #Mask properly. My SandArt at #Puri beach . #StaySafe #BeatCovid19

Since the time Mr Pattnaik’s sand art has been shared on social media, it has garnered over 1 lakh likes and a lot of praises from the netizens.

A twitter user shared the sand art postED by Sudarshan Pattnaik and said, “Wear a mask properly and stay safe.”

Another user said, “Mask, hand washing, social distancing & no crowd. Let’s be all safe. Let’s prevent corona.”

While another user added that it is not about just wearing a mask, it is also about wearing it properly.

This is not the first sand art, Sudarsan Pattnaik has created for spreading awareness about COVID-19 or coronavirus. From time to time, Mr Pattnaik has been creating sand arts at Puri beach in Odisha with a message – India Fights Covid-19.

Earlier, Mr. Pattnaik had created sand art to encourage people to take up the responsibility of their own safety and wear a mask when in public. Sharing his artwork on social media, he had said,

Be responsible for your own safety! Make sure to cover your nose & mouth properly with mask.

Also Read: COVID Fighters: “Personal Protection Gear Is My Second Skin Now,” Says A Doctor Six Months Into Fighting The Coronavirus Pandemic

Then when government guidelines in India came that wearing mask is mandatory for everyone and home-made masks were encouraged, Mr Pattnaik created another sculpture asking people to make their own masks at home. He had said,

Protect yourself & others. Let’s Make our own mask at home. Join the #MaskIndia movement. My today’s installation SandArt on canvas . #IndiaFightsCorona #StayHomeStaySafe

How To Wear A Face Mask Properly, As Per WHO Guidelines

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), masks are effective only when worn properly. It advises people to follow these steps to protect oneself from COVID-19 using masks:

• Properly wash hands before touching the mask
• Wear only clean, breathable face masks- medical or fabric. Do not re-wear the same mask as it could expose the person to contaminants
• Put on the mask, holding it by the ear loops and not the fabric. It should fit snugly against the sides of the face leaving no open spaces
• Press down on it over your nose for a more comfortable fit
• Make sure that nose, mouth and chin are covered
• After putting the mask on, one must not touch it again until it’s time to take it off
• Wash hands immediately after removing and disposing of the mask

Also Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Sand Artist Sudarshan Pattnaik’s Art Calls People To Support The Fight Against COVID-19

While wearing a mask is an important measure of precaution against COVID-19, however, WHO says that face coverings alone cannot protect people from the infection. It advises people to maintain at least one metre distance from others and wash hands frequently and thoroughly, even while wearing a mask.

Currently, India is the country with the second-highest coronavirus caseload in the world after the United States. It has recorded 54,87,580 COVID-19 cases so far with 86,961 new infections. In last 24-hours, 1,130 deaths have pushed the total death count to 87,882. 93,356 patients have recovered from the infection in the country in the last 24 hours and this is for the third straight day that the number of daily recoveries is higher than the daily cases.

With 43,96,399 people in the country having recovered since the beginning of the pandemic, the overall recovery rate is 80.11 per cent.

Also Read: In COVID-19 Pandemic, More And More Families Are Going Hungry Thereby Impacting India’s Nutritional Status: NGO Save The Children

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.