Sikh temples, also known as gurdwaras, usually serve free food to the public for goodwill. With the Coronavirus crisis quickly exacerbating, however, these temples are now offering free oxygen to passing vehicles via hundreds of frontline volunteers. Following the fatal Covid-19 wave in India, Oxygen supply has deteriorated significantly, while hospitals suffer from an outburst of patients increasing every day. Thousands of patients are not being provided health care and are forced to retreat to self care. As the government tracked more than 414,000 cases and approximately 3,923 deaths by the virus in the last 24 hours, Gurdwara Damdama Sahib in Delhi opened up a Drive-through with cars, rickshaws and motorbikes all lining to receive oxygen tanks. NGO’s and volunteers joined to support the temple with refilling tanks, providing oxygen and collecting empty cylinders. Volunteers have to risk exposing themselves to the virus by helping out the temples, and yet hundreds of men and women continue to fearlessly step out on the fields and help their people. They check oxygen levels of patients, provide oxygen to critical patients and keep a check on them until their condition is stable, before moving on to the next patient.
We are here to serve people who need help. Four people have died here in front of my eyes because their oxygen level was so low even we couldn’t help them. It’s devastating.
Devender Singh, An 18 year old volunteer at the Sikh temple