A group of Hindu worshippers believe they can protect themselves from coronavirus by drinking cow urine.
Approximately 200 people showed up to do just that at a "gaumutra" party in Delhi, India on Saturday, hosted by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (All India Hindu Union).
Chakrapani Maharaj, chief of the All India Hindu Union, posed for photographs as he placed a spoon filled with cow urine near the face of a cartoon coronavirus.
Photos taken at the event showed groups of men and women drinking the urine from paper and ceramic cups.
The organisers hope to hold similar events around India in the future.
"We have been drinking cow urine for 21 years, we also take baths in cow dung," said attendee Om Prakash.
"We have never felt the need to consume English medicine."
There have been 84 confirmed cases of coronavirus in India and two deaths.
Members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu Nationalist Party have also advocated the use of cow urine as medicine and even as a cure for cancer.
A leader from India's northeastern state of Assam told state lawmakers earlier in March during an assembly session that cow urine and cow dung can both be used to treat the coronavirus.
On Saturday, the country declared COVID-19 as a "notified disaster", enabling the country to provide help and spend more money on fighting the pandemic.
A total of 10 people in India who previously had the virus have now fully recovered, and the Health Ministry says more than 4,000 people who had contact with the confirmed cases are now under surveillance.
On Friday, the start of the Indian Premier League, the world's most lucrative cricket competition, was postponed from March 29 until April 15 due to the global pandemic.
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