More than 2,000 deaths are in the US, where a travel advisory has been issued for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut

Workers prepare a quarantine center at the Sarusojai sports complex in Gauhati, India, on March 28.
Workers prepare a quarantine center at the Sarusojai sports complex in Gauhati, India, on March 28. Anupam Nath/AP

The Indian government has announced a series of measures to tackle the spread of coronavirus, including a three-week nationwide lockdown and a $22.6 billion relief package.

Now some of the country’s biggest corporate players are stepping in to play their part. 

Mega-conglomerate Reliance Industries has pledged $660,000 to the government of western Maharashtra state to help fight the coronavirus, according to a press release.

Reliance is owned by India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, who is worth more than $51 billion, according to Forbes. The company’s philanthropic arm, the Reliance Foundation, headed by Ambani’s wife Nita, has helped to set up India’s first dedicated Covid-19 hospital. The 100-bed centre in Mumbai is equipped with ventilators.

In partnership with NGOs, the Reliance Foundation has also been providing free meals to the thousands of daily-wage workers who were left jobless by India’s lockdown.

Reliance isn’t alone in providing support to fight the epidemic.

The Mahindra Group has volunteered to help produce ICU ventilators for India’s hospitals, while Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the founder of PayTM, India’s largest digital payments company, has pledged $660,000 to the effort.

source: cnn.com