The chairperson of the Infosys Foundation and a social worker Sudha Murty on Thursday, wrote a letter to the Karnataka government stating that the foundation would like to work with them to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or also known as coronavirus.
Sudha Murty’s assistance
According to the sources, the letter says that the private hospitals in the state will not be able to handle the load of such cases.
For the same, the Infosys Foundation has requested a government hospital, which will be prepared with 500-700 beds, which uses oxygen lines and pipes.
“Infosys Foundation will do the civil work and Dr. Devi Shetty has agreed to share resources like medical equipment,” the letter asserts.
Sudha Murthy's letter to Government. pic.twitter.com/GrbbMKtMI5
— Rakshith Shivaram/ರಕ್ಷಿತ್ ಶಿವರಾಂ (@bkrs100) March 13, 2020
The letter signed by Sudha Murty also sets out important measures that they consider to be necessary to check the spread of coronavirus which includes–
- Closing all schools and colleges immediately
- Shuttering malls, theatres and all air-conditioned areas
- Keeping only essential service stores such as pharmacies, grocery stores and petrol bunks open
Government on action
According to the sources, CM BS Yediyurappa has reacted to the letter, and an immediate meeting of senior officials was arranged which included Sudha Murty and Devi Shetty. In this meeting, the 69-year-old spoke to ministers in the Yediyurappa cabinet and offered help from the Infosys foundation.
Before Murty could request to close all schools and colleges, the government had already implemented this part. A few weeks ago, an unspecified holiday was announced for those till class five. Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar also directed all schools to suspend classes immediately, and only reach school for the examinations. Board exams will be held as usual.
This is not it, the letter recommended a separate hospital for COVID-19, which is something that the government is planning into.
Dr. K Sudhakar, Karnataka Medical Education Minister, informed that the government is planning to open a separate hospital so that patients can be kept in quarantine, as well as setting up isolation beds at eight hospitals.
“We are yet to decide the place and how many beds. This is to ensure that all those who need to be isolated can be in one facility and reduce the spread of the virus,” he said.
