Socio-religious groups are at the forefront of COVID-19 relief in Telangana

From providing free isolation spaces to food, medicine and oxygen, the groups lend a hand at the last rites too

The contours of COVID-19 have assumed different shapes in different cities. The suffering has been no less, however. The need for isolation centres was never more felt, given the nuclear family structures. The demand for oxygen beds and cylinders has gone up exponentially. Food and medical care are major issues too. The healthcare infrastructure is overwhelmed but cries for help have not gone unheeded with socio-religious organisations rising to the occasion. The Calvary Temple is a case in point. A beehive of activity with Sunday worshippers, it is now a 300-bed facility. The desire to help — from verifying information to providing dry rations — is genuine and commendable, cutting across the social divide.