MAHARASHTRA, India (KRON) – Some states in India have started stamping the hands of people flying into the country from abroad with unwashable ink to prevent community spread of the coronavirus.
The ink, which wears off over time, states the date until which the person should remain quarantined at home, the default period being 14 days, BuzzFeed News reports.
India also reportedly uses this type of ink to mark voters during elections as proof of having voted.
“HOME QUARANTINED,” the hand stamp reads, along with the date it was given to determine when the person’s isolation period ends, according to a picture in the Indian Express.
“Proud to protect Mumbaikars,” it also states, referring to citizens of the capital city, Mumbai.
Maharashtra, the Indian state which contains Mumbai, has been the most hardest hit with coronavirus cases.
According to local authorities, stamping people’s hands where others can see will help others around them give them notice to send them home if they go out in public.
“If such people go out, others can identify them as home quarantine patients. This is being done so that patients strictly observe home quarantine,” Rajesh Tope, the public health minister of Maharashtra, told the Express.
The number of coronavirus cases in India remains relatively low, with the country reporting 173 cases and four deaths, according to the latest numbers from the World Health Organization.
The stamp has been met with mixed reviews:
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