The novel coronavirus, which began from Wuhan in China last year, has now spread to every continent except Antarctica. The virus, which was originally expected to be China’s problem, has now become a global headache. So far the virus has infected 360,327 people and claimed more than 15,000 lives worldwide. The outbreak is now termed as “pandemic” by the World Health Organization, forcing governments around the world to buckle up and put cities under lockdown.
The pandemic has brought the entire economic system of the world on its knees. Manufacturing facilities are now closed, offices shut down, trade halted and the travel industry is on brink of collapsing. It is even being estimated that the pandemic will bring back the times of World War 2 and The Great Depression. Healthcare services around the world are fighting day and night to contain the virus but the size of the world population and the wide-gap in medical provisions per person has become an issue. Governments are trying really hard to reduce the gap and make the facilities available to all.
In these tough times, corporations around the world have come ahead and started doing their bit for the countries they operate in. Here is a list of all the organizations and individuals who are contributing to the prevention of the virus.
1.) Mahindra Group (Anand Mahindra)
Anand Mahindra, Mahindra Group Chairman has announced several measures to help combat the Coronavirus pandemic in India. In a series of tweets, Mahindra said that the conglomerate will immediately work on how its manufacturing facilities can make ventilators. He has also offered to make Mahindra Holidays resorts as temporary care facilities. Mahindra further said that his company’s Projects Team is also ready to help the government or the army to erect the temporary care facilities. Elaborating on the same, Mahinda explained that we needed to create scores of temporary hospitals and we have a scarcity of ventilators. The facilities are needed as India is currently in Stage 2 of the outbreak, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and is headed into Stage 3, which is community transmission.
2.) Alibaba (Jack Ma)
Recently, The Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation announced plans to donate much-needed medical supplies to 10 more countries in Asia to help the global fight against COVID-19. The governments of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka will receive from the two foundations a donation totaling 1.8 million masks, 210,000 COVID-19 test kits, 36,000 pieces of protective clothing, as well as essential medical equipment and supplies that include ventilators and forehead thermometers.
3.) Bacardi
A shift in production by Bacardi at the world’s largest premium rum distillery is helping supply ethanol required to produce the much-needed hand sanitizers that are in high demand as a result of COVID-19. The Bacardi Corporation distillery in Cataño, Puerto Rico, where more than 80% of the company’s rums are produced, has partnered with Puerto Rico based manufacturer Olein Refinery to provide raw materials that will enable the production of more than 1.7M units of 10-ounce hand sanitizer. At 70% alcohol, these products are in line with the recommendations by the World Health Organization for containing the spread of the virus.
4.) Unacademy
Indian ed-tech startup Unacademy recently announced that it will conduct free live classes for students across exam categories including UPSC, banking, railways, among others. It has said that it will host over 20,000 free live classes ensuring learner’s education is not obstructed amidst the pandemic. Unacademy plans to host more than 700 free live classes per day across exam categories. As per the company, this is around three times the usual number of special/free classes they do generally. There is also no limit on the number of students who can join at a time. These classes are not limited to those who already have a subscription with Unacademy and are open to all.
5.) Hindustan Unilever Limited
In the public interest, HUL is reducing the prices of Lifebuoy sanitizers, Lifebuoy Liquid hand wash and Domex floor cleaners by 15%. We are commencing the production of these reduced-priced products immediately and these will be available in the market in the next few weeks. HUL has also ramped up the production of Lifebuoy sanitizers, Lifebuoy Handwash liquid, and Domex Floor Cleaners and is committed to scaling it up even further in the coming weeks. HUL will donate two crore pieces of Lifebuoy soaps in the next few months to the sections of the society which need it the most. HUL will partner with medical institutions that are providing testing and care facilities to the affected people and provide them free supplies of sanitation and hygiene products such as hand sanitizers, bar soaps, and floor cleaners. HUL will donate Rs 10 crores to upgrade the health care facilities in testing centers and hospitals. The Company has also committed to creating large-scale awareness about protective measures through mass communication to drive home the message of social distancing and hygiene which is critical for us as a nation to fight this virus.
Note: As governments and organizations around the world are battling it out with the deadly virus, we request our readers to kindly adhere to the laws and advisories put in place by the health services. It is very important for us to practice social distancing and remain indoors until it’s safe to step out. Please do not stock up essential commodities as there may be people who need it more than you. Also, we request employers to not cut any wages of daily workers. Team Newsdesk HrNxt prays for a safe and sound recovery of all those infected by the virus and hopes for a better future.
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