Now the dreaded coronavirus has a sweet avatar. A famous Bengali sweet shop chain in Kolkata has come up with its new offerings — Corona Sandesh and Corona Cake — to spread awareness about the deadly COVID-19 disease declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

The Sandesh and cake, both shaped like the novel Coronavirus, are prominently displayed alongside other sweets in the retail chain's outlets.

But there is one important difference. "Corona Sandesh is not for sale. We are handing it out to all our customers for free as part of our social duty to make people aware about the dangerous viral infection," said an official of Hindustan Sweets at its headquarters in south Kolkata's Jadavpur.

The chain is known for its tradition of producing sweets christened after big happenings.

During the India-Bangladesh pink-ball Test at the Eden Gardens last November, the chain's Pink Ball Sandesh had sold like hotcakes.

But this time the chain has been guided not by any profit motive, but by a desire to spread consciousness about the raging infection which has claimed more than a hundred lives in India, and over 70,000 globally.

"We will make the Sandesh every day and distribute it free," the official said.

Proprietor Rabin Pal said on the packet will be printed the dos and don'ts for preventing the disease.

"We are hopeful that if people meticulously follow the directives on dos and don'ts being given to them by the authorities, then the world will be corona free one day," he said.