POONCH: With an aim to ensure the safety of the rural population, Village Level Committees (VLCs) have been constituted in Poonch district to contain the spread of the virus infection and management of COVID19. These committees were assigned the responsibility of sensitizing the common masses about the Corona Virus infection, ways to prevent it and to get information about the travel history of the villagers.
These Village level committees have metamorphosed into super awareness spreader by going door to door covering all the villages in Poonch. They interact with the people in their local language and are helping to dispel fear among them about COVID-19.
VLCs comprise of local educated members of the village who dedicatedly traverse the difficult terrain of the district to ensure that their message of precautionary measures to be adopted to keep the spread of Coronavirus away reaches far flung areas. Their contribution is all the more vital as the district has a sizeable population of nomadic migratory community residing in the far off reaches. These people by virtue of their migratory habits are more susceptible to contracting the disease. The only manner in which it can be prevented is by sensitising these communities about the precautionary measures needed to check COVID-19. VLC members being part of the community are able to keep a close liaison with these nomadic people. These committees have therefore emerged as the focal point in the response against Covid-19, which is a positive thing for the district.