A week ago, when Sai Charan Chikkula was at a general store in the Karwan area of Hyderabad, a person who had come to buy grocery items was turned away by the shopkeeper. When Charan later spoke to the shopkeeper, he came to know that the person’s whole family had tested positive for the coronavirus, which is why they were turned away at the shop. When Charan learned this, he took the essential items and delivered them to the family.
With the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Hyderabad, families and individuals who test positive are finding it difficult to procure grocery items, food and medicines. Coming to their rescue, many youngsters across the city have taken the responsibility of running errands for free for those stuck in isolation or quarantine. The patients message their requirements and location, and volunteers like Charan provide them.
Charan is just one such individual who has been volunteering to help families over the past week. He is currently doing deliveries in and Karwan, Mehdipatnam, Attapur and Asif Nagar areas.
Anyone Covid positive and you need some help getting medicine, groceries etc around Karwan, Mehdipatnam,Attapoor and Asif Nagar.
— Sai Charan Chikkulla (@charan_tweetz) April 22, 2021
Reach out to me,will do my best delivering them at door step. Let's everyone help eachother amid pandemic, please amplify.#telangana
“I have been individually helping some of the people that I know, who are affected with COVID-19. I put my details up on Twitter, so that more people would be able to reach out,” he added. He also said that, along with requests for help, he also received calls from people living in surrounding areas who wanted to help with deliveries as well. “It felt really nice to have people who said they would like to join me. Now they are also delivering in areas which are nearer to them,” Sai Charan shared.
Apart from running errands, Sai Charan is also calling numbers that claim to have information on bed and oxygen availability, to verify them. He said that many of these numbers turn out to be fake, and he is maintaining a record of verified numbers. Apart from all this, Charan also co-ordinates logistics for emergency situations. He can be reached at +91 9392826327.
Rikit Shahi, a law student from the city, is also doing a similar service in and around Khairatabad in Hyderabad.
If you live in and around Khairtabad (Hyderabad), are in isolation and need someone to run errands for you, reach out to me. Will be happy to help.
— Rikit Shahi (@chotesarcar) April 16, 2021
The number of journalists who test positive for the coronavirus has been increasing as well. According to unions, around 150 journalists were affected with COVID-19 in the second wave, and 10 journalists passed away in April from the disease. In light of this, a group called Young Journos has come together to help families of journalists who contracted the coronavirus.
Read: 10 journalists died due to COVID-19 in Telangana in April
If any journalist, contributor or stringer associated with any news organisations test positive for COVID-19, they can reach out to the Young Journos group for nutritional and medical requirements by calling +91 9704283062 and 9492306808. The group provides free kits, which contain items like fresh and dry fruits like cashew nuts, almonds and raisins, basic medicines, sanitisers and masks worth about Rs 1,500. When they initially started on a low-key basis, they received about six to seven calls a day, said Siddharth, a journalist and one of the coordinators of the group. But when they put out a poster about the same to reach a wider community, they received about 50 calls a day from members of the fraternity.
The Young Journos group sources funds from its volunteers and appeals for the same from journalists across Telangana, as well as senior editors. Now, with a team of around 6 people, the group is delivering the kits across the city, whenever they get a call.
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