Aiming to ensure that the citizens of Delhi have access to credible information around COVID-19, the Health & Family Welfare Department of Govt. of NCT of Delhi has launched a dedicated WhatsApp helpline number – +91 88000 07722. This service is free-to-use and the Delhi Government has said that it will act as a central hub for accurate, trustworthy and up-to-date information on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Just save the number +91 88000 07722 in your phone contacts and then text ‘Hi’ in a WhatsApp message to get started. This service is built on the foundation of WhatsApp Business API and uses Infobip’s stack of tools and services. The helpline is only available in English.
The Delhi Govt. Corona Helpline uses an automated ‘chatbot’ which will give citizens verified answers to their questions related to Coronavirus from the Health & Family Welfare Department of Govt. of NCT of Delhi within 24 hours. You can also look for additional information such as Coronavirus prevention and symptoms along with tips on containment, other service helpline numbers, applying for e-passes and general information on measures that the state is taking to tackle this crisis.
‘The Delhi Govt. is happy to partner with WhatsApp to establish a dedicated Coronavirus helpline for its residents to ensure that all your queries related to Coronavirus are answered with credible and accurate information. We are doing everything we can to keep our citizens safe in these challenging times and urge everyone to stay indoors and ensure they rely only on verified channels of information,’ Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi said.
‘Our focus, at this time, is to make sure every citizen can access credible and accurate health information. We value the opportunity to support the Government of Delhi and urge people to do their part by relying on authentic and official sources of information,’ added Abhijit Bose, Head of India for WhatsApp.
In the past couple of weeks, in addition to the MyGov central helpline, similar services have been introduced in several states of India to provide users with credible information both in English and in their regional language. Users can now reach Health Ministries of Maharashtra (+91 20 2612 739), Gujarat (+91 74330 00104) and Kerala (+91 90722 20183) on WhatsApp with more states to launch in the coming days.
Users can reach out to the fact-checking community by visiting the recently launched WhatsApp Coronavirus Information hub.
