Two College Students Volunteer For Burying COVID-19 Patients In Bengaluru

Bengaluru girls bury COVID-19 patients: For the last few weeks, Nicole Furtado and her cousin Tina Cherian have been burying patients who have died from COVID-19 at Bengaluru's Indian Christian Cemetery. These coronawarriors have joined a group of volunteers to help families of the patients bury those who died of the infection.

On behalf of the relatives, Furtado and Cherian have been transporting bodies of victims and are now involved in giving them a dignified burial at a cemetery. "Our families have been doing COVID relief work, so we got inspired from them. It feels good to help. Risk is there but sitting idle is even worse," said 20-year-old Furtado, who is a final-year Bachelor of Social Work student at St. Joseph's College in the city, ANI reported. The team provides its services free of cost. Her sister, 21-year-old Cherian is a final-year MBBS student at the Kasturba Medical College in Manipal.

"Our families have been doing COVID relief work, so we got inspired from them. It feels good to help. Risk is there but sitting idle is even worse," said Nicole Furtado and her cousin Tina Cherian, who work as volunteers for burying COVID bodies in Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/wGGF2VDcUT

— ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2021

Furtado and Cherian said instead of being at home, they decided to slip into their personal protective equipment (PPE) suits and volunteer for the needy group in the city. The girls are part of a team called Here I’m Squad which has been helping bereaved families bury their COVID-infected kin.

“We’ve been seeing the situation in the news and my dad, who has been volunteering at funerals, told us the ground situation was grim,” Furtado said, adding that they started the noble work on May 10 onwards, TOI reported. "We never feared doing the job," Cherian told India Today that they always take the necessary precautions. "I don't think there is anything to fear," the college student assured that they always cover themselves in PPE kits, have mask on all the time, and wear gloves and goggles. "We try to keep our immunity strong so that we don't get infected and infect our family members," they also advocate frequently sanitising.

The number of COVID-19 positive cases is on the rise in Bengaluru with over 22,313 deaths as of Tuesday morning. Total number of active cases in the state stood at 6,03,639.

Feature Image Credit: India Today