Wearing a face mask is compulsory in Tamil Nadu but there are not enough quality masks available. Many cannot afford to buy them either. To ensure that vulnerable people are protected from the coronavirus, five disabled girls from Chennai’s Sri Arunodayam Charitable Trust are making these masks as per globally approved benchmarks and distributing them to the poorer sections of society.

They may not fully understand what the COVID-19 or coronavirus means, but they are sensitive to the suffering it is causing and are doing their part to help out.

Our country is fighting the Novel Coronavirus and the government has instated a lockdown up to 3rd May as a fight against corona.  With the number of false information that is proliferating around the country, NewzHook team has taken the initiative to make important government advisories and notifications related to lockdown and coronavirus accessible for people with disabilities.

We recently sent new guidance to supermarkets asking them to prioritise blind and partially sighted customers in the current environment and we are also asking all shoppers to share a shorter version of the guide with their local and smaller shops.

Matt Stringer, RNIB’s chief executive, said: “We know it is vital to make shopping as accessible as possible – particularly in the current circumstances – so I’m pleased retailers are engaging with us. 

In March 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, to be a pandemic, due to the speed and scale of transmission. WHO and public health authorities around the world are taking action to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. Certain populations, such as those with disability, may be impacted more significantly by COVID-19. This impact can be mitigated if simple actions and protective measures are taken by key stakeholders.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Wednesday identified 14 departments as essential and asked all its employees to attend work during the extended period of lockdown to check coronavirus spread in the state.

According to a circular issued by chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, all classes of officials/employees in these departments must attend to their work.