Reliance Industries on Monday joined the fight against the novel coronavirus, announcing a an initial support of Rs. 5 crore to the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
While the company had already taken steps to help combat the deadly virus, on Monday a comprehensive plan of action was released. This, in the company's words, involved "a multi-pronged prevention, mitigation, and ongoing support strategy" that ranged from building medical facilities to providing free meals to people across various cities in partnership with NGOs.
The company also announced that it would provide free fuel to all emergency service vehicles that were being used to transport COVID-19 patients to and from isolation facilities as well as quarantined individuals.
Alongside a slew of medical aids, the company also said that it would safeguard the interests of their workers, paying contract and temporary workers, even if their work had been halted.
"For those earning below Rs. 30,000 per month, salaries will be paid twice a month to protect their cash flow and mitigate any overwhelming financial burden,"' the company announced.
Apart from the select few manning critical roles, most Reliance employees have been moved to a work-from-home set up.
In a press release on Monday the company said that it had in about two weeks set up the country's first dedicated COVID-19 hospital -- a 100 bed centre at Mumbai's Seven Hills Hospital. This was done by the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
The centre which has been funded in full by the company also has within in a negative pressure room that helps curb cross contamination.
Additionally, the company has also offered to set up a facility to aid those in quarantine.
"Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, a world-class healthcare institution in Mumbai, has also offered to set up special medical facilities to quarantine travellers from notified countries and suspected cases identified through contact tracing," the company said.
This, the press note added, would help augment the available facilities for isolation and treatment of those who have been infected.
"RIL has built a fully-equipped isolation facility in Lodhivali, Maharashtra and handed it over to the District authorities," the company added.
The company has also ramped up its efforts to create protective gear to prevent the spread of the virus.
"#RIL is enhancing its capacity to produce 100,000 masks per day & a large number of personal protective equipment’s (PPEs), such as suits & garments, for the nation’s health-workers to equip them further to fight the coronavirus challenge," the company wrote on Twitter.
While no cure exists at present for the novel coronavirus, Reliance said that its medical team was working overtime to find a cure.
"Reliance Life Sciences is importing additional test kits and consumables for effective testing," the company added.
Read the full press release below:
