Amid pandemic, wrestler Labhanshu offers to turn Rishikesh home into COVID care centre

In view of increasing COVID-19 cases in Uttrakhand, India wrestler Labhanshu Sharma has offered his residence here to be utilised as a COVID care centre with all amenities.

From arranging food for the patients to taking care of their basic needs, Labhanshu and his family will be giving their all to fight against the deadly virus which has taken the lives of more than 2,000 people in the state.

"I have offered my residence in Rishikesh for making it a COVID care center. I and my parents will shift on the second floor and will make the first and ground floor the isolation centre," Labhanshu told .

"We will also help the patients will basic care like food and washing their clothes. I have requested the Chief Minister and the authorities to make use of my residence. 25 patients can be treated here till the coronavirus situation is under control," he added.

The Indian wrestler on Monday wrote a letter to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat to inform him about his gesture of offering his residence for the COVID care centre.

"Acknowledging the second wave spread of the pandemic in our state, the administration and health department is making every effort to control the worsening situation in Dehradun district, including the state due to the second wave of Corona. I want to cooperate with the administration in the time of this calamity. I request you to make my residence in Rishikesh a Covid Care Center," Labhanshu said in the letter.

Labhanshu has previously made Peace trips through 32 countries on international roads. Labhanshu and his brother, Vishal, last year completed the journey from India to London by road as part of their World Peace Tour.

Meanwhile, in wake of the surge in COVID-19 cases, the district administration has imposed a curfew in parts of Dehradun district from 7 pm of April 26 to 5 am of May 3.

As per Dehradun District Magistrate, Ashish Kumar Srivastava, curfew will be imposed in Dehradun districts Rishikesh, Dehradun, Garhi Cantt, and Clement Town's municipal areas.

India reported 3.23 lakh fresh coronavirus cases and over 2,700 related deaths in the last 24 hours. A total of 3,23,144 new COVID-19 cases, 2771 related deaths and 2,51,827 recoveries were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total active cases to 28,82,204, as per the health ministry update on Tuesday morning.

The total count of positive cases now stands at 1,76,36,307, including 1,97,894 deaths and 1,45,56,209 recoveries.

( With inputs from ANI )