Picture of peacocks maintaining social distancing go viral

Our national birds  have a message for us. A picture of peacocks practising social distancing, sitting majestically in a government school in Rajasthan at equal distance from each other has gone viral. The picture was shared by Indian Forest Services officer Parveen Kaswan on Twitter.  He wrote, “Kaswan shared the image with the caption, “Learn social distancing amid lockdown from our national birds. Peacock edition. A click from government school in Roon (Nagaur).”

The fact that the picture was clicked at the right time garnered a lot of attention from people on Twitter.  One user wrote, “The best part is, its innate not enforced.”  Another user wrote, “ Birds need siesta too it seems. 

The IFS officer later also tweeted a video of the peacocks sent by a villager and wrote, “Since humans are not using schools now. So these peacocks made it their meeting hall. Same pack which gave message of social distancing. From Lodhsar, Nagaur. Video is sent by Banne Singh from village.”

The term social distancing has been trending ever since the pandemic Covid-19 broke out.  According to the dictionary, the term means- the practice of maintaining a greater than usual physical distance from other people or of avoiding direct contact with people or objects in public places during the outbreak of a contagious disease in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection.

There are certain dos and don’t of social distancing that one should know.

Here are a few dos

1. Stay indoor: That’s the first and most common practice of social distancing. You should avoid going out and do everything, even exercise in the house. 

2.  Maintain distance in an elevator: For those staying in apartments with common lifts, should  try and not allow more than two or three people at a time depending on the size of the lift. You should maintain proper distance.

3.  Grocery shopping during non peak hours: Try and not step out for buying essentials in the morning or evening. Since most people  step out during this time. Stepping out during the day will be a safer option. 

Don'ts

1. Don’t have any physical contact with non family members:  You shouldn’t meet anyone outside the house and if you do so maintain distance and don’t shake hands.

2. Avoid crowded places: Going to your nearby park to workout is also something that should be avoided. 

3.  Don’t let your kids mingle with neigbouring kids: It is  important that your kids also remain safe. Don’t let them play outdoor during social distancing. 

 With inputs from Dr Pragati Surekha, psychologist and Pulkit Sharma.