26 Corona crusaders will attend ‘At Home’ event

NEW DELHI: A nursing officer who organised ICU care for patients in the most difficult working conditions, a laboratory technician who conducted RT-PCR and rapid antigen Covid-19 tests in high-risk areas and a Delhi Police head constable who distributed food packets among the poor and migrant workers are some of the 26 “Corona Warriors” who will sit in a special enclosure at the “At Home” function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Independence Day.

Among those who have been invited for the function, four people will represent the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and three will represent the Safdarjung Hospital.

Out of the 26 special guests, eight are women, according to the list of invitees accessed by HT. About 100 guests, including the “Corona Warriors”, are expected to attend the programme which will begin with a brief speech by President Ram Nath Kovind to honour the frontline workers. Dishes such samosa, tea and dhokla will be served by a limited number of waiters amid social distancing guidelines over the Covid-19 pandemic.

All waiters have tested negative for Covid-19, a person aware of the developments said. All guest tables will be named after rivers of India and each guest will be ushered in to his or her assigned place, the person added.

From senior and junior doctors to nursing officers, technicians, pharmacists, midwives and Asha workers, nursing orderlies, security guards, sanitation workers and housekeeping staff — a wide range of people involved in India’s prolonged battle against Covid-19 will be honoured at the event.

The list also includes three members of the Delhi Police and a wood-cutter at the Nigambodh Ghat, where funerals are conducted.

While all of the 26 “Corona Warriors” have shown exemplary work in their line of duty, head constable Manish Kumar, posted at the Community Policing Cell, Dwarka, established a community kitchen to feed 800 needy people daily, provided dry ration kits to workers who lost their jobs during the lockdown and helped install hands-free sanitiser machines. He also distributed 4,400 washable cotton gloves among police personnel and more than 1,375 litres of sanitiser to them, according to an official note.

Kumar arranged refreshments, face shields and gloves for police patrols and pickets and was engaged in regular announcement of guidelines and sensitisation people, the note added.

Also a poet, he distributed milk food for newborns and arranged water, food and fresh fruits for migrant workers.

While nursing officer Asha Shabarwal of GTB Hospital worked hard to organise ICU care for patients, Kriti Sharma, a laboratory technician has been credited with “outstanding work by doing RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Test in most high risk areas during Covid-19.”

Pharmacist Vinod Rohilla arranged drugs and other items even late at night without hesitation, even when his grandmother was hospitalised.

Amar Singh, a wood-cutter at the Nigambodh Ghat, helped people at the cremation ground in maintaining social distancing and was always “alert when bodies arrived at cremation ground for cremations regarding less number of people should be at the time of performing rituals and must have to wearing PPE kit so that infection should not spread to others,” the official note said.

Dr Rahul Tyagi and Dr Ankesh Gupta, senior and junior residents, nursing officer Rekha Kumari and Naresh Kumar, an OT technician, have also been selected from AIIMS to attend the prestigious function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

COPS, LAB TECHNICIAN, NURSING OFFICER, MEDICAL STAFF, WOOD CUTTER AT FUNERAL HOME AMONG THOSE INVITED TO THE RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN