By Matters India Reporter
Secunderabad, April 4, 2020: The Federation of Telugu Churches (FTC), the apex body various Christian denominations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, on April 4 offered its institutions to the governments of the two states to use during the time of coronavirus pandemic.
In separate letters addressed to the chief ministers of the two states, the ecumenical body says the administration could use hospitals, schools, training centers and church campus to shelter the homeless and migrant, store provisions or for quarantine purposes.
This is being done to augment the government’s efforts to contain Covid-19, says the letter, signed by the federation’s executive secretaries –Father Anthoniraj Thumma of the Catholic Church and B. Danam, a retired Protestant government officer.
The letter explains officials of districts in the states could avail these institutions and centers with permission from their managements “without any hindrance to their regular work, daily routine and usual activities.”
The federation also asks the governments to return the centers after use in good condition and after sanitizing.
The federation begins the letter expressing the Churches’ “deep appreciation” of the chief ministers’ “timely action, effective steps and suitable measures” to control and contain COVID-19.
The Christian community in the two states, the letter says, has been “earnestly praying for the safety of our people from COVID-19.” It promised to follow the government directions to contain the virus by staying in homes, shutting down all worship prayers and institutions of the community.
“We assure that we shall continue to do so until these restrictions on public gathering are lifted,” the letter adds.
The federation draws the leaders’ attention to the gestures of the Christian Coalition for Health, the national network of Christian health organizations, to offer the prime minister its about 1,000 hospitals with more than 60,000 beds to fight the pandemic.
“The Churches are concerned about thousands of homeless people and migrant workers,” the federation says and adds that their local churches, schools, hostels, hospitals and social service Societies and centers now support district administrations to shelter such people.
Some provide cooked food, dry rations, face masks and sanitary items to the needy. The federation has also urged other churches and Institutions to come forward and take up these services without further delay.
As on April 4, Telangana reported 272 positive cases and 11 deaths. Andhra Pradesh, on the other hand, had 192 positive cases and 1 death.