Munaf Patel Spreads Coronavirus Awareness After Four Tested Positive In His Village

Munaf Patel delivered during his national duty with utmost responsibility. Now the 2011 World Cup winner, Munaf Patel, is spreading awareness about the novel coronavirus pandemic in his village Ikhar in the Bharuch district in Gujarat. The village had not reported a single case of coronavirus until last week. But according to several media reports, on April 10, four Jammat members tested positive in the remote village.

Hearing about the situation, Munaf Patel, who is influential figure and part of a committee in his village Ikhar reached out to people to spread the message of social distancing during these difficult times, according to a report in The Indian Express.

Whole Village Has Been Sealed: Munaf Patel

The four men, who have been tested positive aged 25, 27, 39 and 50 belong to Tamil Nadu and are part of a Jammat that had travelled to Mumbai and Surat before reaching Bharuch, an Indian Express report said. As a precautionary measure, the whole village has been sealed and kept under lockdown now, Munaf Patel said.

“Things were normal till last week when four positive cases were found. The whole village has been sealed and we are under lockdown now. The panchayat and the committee which I’m part of has ensured that essential commodities reach homes.” Patel told The Indian Express.

Giving a description about the locality, Patel also said, as most of the village is spread out it is easier to maintain social distancing in the village. “Barring a few places, most houses are spread out. It’s not like a city where one shares walls with neighbours. So social distancing is easy to follow in villages. It’s simple: Don’t stay in groups, wash your hands frequently,” Patel said.

“The other day, the local administration wanted me to request people to follow social distancing; they took me to a nearby district and a small village. I went and requested the people to follow what has been told. I don’t want the virus to enter and create havoc in my village,” he added.

The village has a population of around 12,342. Patel has a mansion situation on the outskirts here. He retired from cricket in 2018 after saying he has no motivation left. He served cricket for 15 years across formats.