Delhi government’s WhatsApp helpline launched regarding Coronavirus

To get the latest information regarding COVID-19, the Delhi government has released a WhatsApp helpline, under which now the citizens of Delhi can easily get all the information related to Coronavirus (COVID-19) on their WhatsApp. This new initiative has been launched by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Delhi. The government says that in this, citizens will get reliable updates related to the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) epidemic. The ‘Delhi Government Corona Helpline’ is available as a chatbot service – as we also saw in the helpline issued by the Central government last month. This new helplight can be used on WhatsApp to get information about the main symptoms and signs related to COVID-19. Apart from this, users can also use helpline numbers and government authorized services to get tested and screened for this deadly disease.

Citizens of Delhi can use this service through their WhatsApp. For this, they will have to save the number +91 88000 07722 in their phone’s contacts and send ‘Hi’ (without single quotation mark) to this saved number through WhatsApp. Currently, information on this helpline is available in English, although we are hoping to add at least Hindi support in the coming days.

One of the main reasons for introducing this helpline through WhatsApp is to eliminate the spread of fake news and misinformation regarding COVID-19. Instead of relying on false news, you can use the chatbot service to get correct information related to the Novel Coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) disease. The bot can also provide information about night shelters available in Delhi city and ways for citizens to donate to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. There is also an option to apply for electronic curfew pass during the lockdown.

Last month, the central government also launched its chatbot MyGov Corona Helpdesk on WhatsApp with similar features. It reached over 17 million users across the nation within 10 days of its launch and recently added support for Hindi in addition to the default English language.