04/21/2020

According to a report[1] in The New Indian Express, amateur radio operators in Kerala state have joined the fight against COVID-19. The newspaper said the district administration has enlisted radio amateurs to improve important communication between departments and offices. Upward of 20 hams�are
involved,�organized into teams.

Radio Amateur Society of Ananthapuri President Dr. Zakheer Hussain, VU3OOH, said using ham radio during the time of crisis would help coordinate crucial communication.

"We have assigned our teams at the district medical office and taluk [administrative subdivision] offices," Hussain told the paper. "We have a team at the district administration, which is the center of all action." He said help�lines now in operation receive many calls, including distress calls. "If anyone is in need of emergency medical care, we immediately inform the respective taluk office and the ambulance desk, so that help reaches in time," he said.

The Times of India reports[2] that a radio amateur in West Bengal drove 98 kilometers (61 miles) to deliver medicines to an elderly resident of Rahara. "We have been providing assistance to people ever since the lockdown was announced," said Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, the secretary of the West Bengal Radio Club[3].

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[1] https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2020/apr/13/ham-radio-operators-in-thiruvananthapuram-to-join-the-fight-against-covid-19-2129269.html
[2] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/ham-operator-drives-98km-to-deliver-medicines-to-elderly/articleshow/75189536.cms
[3] http://www.wbrc.in/

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