Mumbai college students join the campaign against Covid-19 outbreak

Students from several colleges affiliated with the University of Mumbai (MU) have come to the rescue of citizens to combat fake news on social media.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, college students in the city have resorted to several measures to prevent the spread of the disease and clear misconceptions pertaining to it.

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Students from several colleges affiliated with the University of Mumbai (MU) have come to the rescue of citizens to combat fake news on social media.

In one such instance, the volunteers of the National Service Scheme (NSS) from different colleges have been conducting awareness drives in societies. In the past few days, NSS students from a Bandra college have made phone calls and appealed to at least 3,000 families around their college to follow safety measures and hygienic, and remain indoors over the next few days.

“The situation is getting scarier, especially for the elderly, who are unsure about whom to believe. So we are providing them with data and information from government-officiated websites to prevent them from believing in fake news and information,” said Vijender Shekhawat, one of the NSS coordinators. He added that NSS volunteers from more than 139 MU-affiliated colleges have agreed to be a part of this project.

In another case, students of a college have created alcohol-based hand sanitisers for the non-faculty staff of their college. These sanitisers have been distributed for free among the staff. The students have also explained the staff the importance of maintaining hygiene to prevent attracting the virus.

Meanwhile, hundreds of medical students from across the country have come together to help bust the myths around coronavirus, especially on social media.

“As we are not doctors yet, we are using our knowledge to spread awareness among the public about the virus. We are compiling data from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund], ICMR [Indian Council of Medical Research], AIIMS [All India Institute of Medical Sciences] and the central government to create a strong database of evidence-based information that is being provided to the public,” said Jaspreet Kapoor, president of Indian Medical Association’s Medical Students Network (IMA-MSN). These medical students have also been volunteering with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to reach out to the society and answer queries related to Covid-19, added Kapoor.