<span style="color: #222222;">In Maharashtra, the authorities in rural areas of Thane district along with cooperation from the people have been doing exemplary work to keep the Covid-19 at bay. Around 209 villages have taken various initiatives to curb the number of positive cases. Meanwhile, the Zilla Parishad has directed villages to hoist  a green flag if no case of Covid-19 is reported in the last 28 days.<br />''<br />''Swift action and timely treatment of patients infected with Covid 19 has helped in containing the spread of the virus. A team of 1,028 people have been formed for conducting screening and testing across rural areas of Thane. These teams include medical officers, social health workers, teachers and anganwadi helpers. Apart from screening of all those who have symptoms, the members of these teams also instruct villagers on maintaining hygiene and keep mouth and nose covered during the pandemic. According to Dr Rupali Satpute, Chief Executive Officer of  Thane Zilla Parishad, there are more than 250 villages in Thane rural; among these around 209 such villages have not reported a single case of Covid 19 for more than a month now. In addition to this, some villages are also roping in youngsters in creative awareness about the pandemic. Moreover, if a particular village does not report a single case of Covid-19 for 28 days, a green flag is hoisted by the gram panchayat on the directives of the Zilla Parishad. </span><br />