Village head uses drone to distribute face masks to residents
RİZE
A village head (muhtar) in the Black Sea province of Rize is flying a drone to distribute face masks to residents, a novel way to abide by the strict measures taken in the fight against COVID-19.
Ramazan Küçüksarı, the head of Derecik village of Çayeli district, cordoned off the village, barricading its entrances and exits with rocks and has begun standing guard by wearing a special protective suit at the single entrance point of the village.
Küçüksarı registers the entrances of every person entering the village, screens their temperature and distributes masks and the Turkish alcohol-heavy cologne (kolonya) at the entrance.
The muhtar has also been flying a drone to distribute face masks, which has become compulsory almost everywhere in the country.
“People flouted social distance rules and isolation while working in the field. We are delivering masks to them with a drone in order to enforce the isolation,” Küçüksarı said.
“Our people are surprised, but we are showing them that this pandemic is not over yet,” he added.
Villages in Çayeli consist of a narrow coastal strip and a large section of the Black Sea Mountain range which rises steeply and runs parallel to the coast.
