In order to ensure that the citizens of Delhi have easy 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 will act as a central source for accurate, trustworthy and up-to-date  information on the ongoing pandemic. 

To use the free Delhi Govt. Corona Helpline on WhatsApp, simply save the number +91 88000 07722 in your phone contacts and then text the word ‘Hi’ in a WhatsApp message to get started. This service has been built on the WhatsApp Business API, using Infobip India and will be available in English.

The Delhi Govt. Corona Helpline is an automated ‘chatbot’ service which will allow citizens to get verified answers to questions about Coronavirus from the Health & Family Welfare Department of Govt. of NCT of Delhi within 24 hours. The service will provide information on topics 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.  

Urging citizens to be vigilant and rely on official sources for information, Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi said, “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”

Commenting on this initiative, Abhijit Bose, Head of India for WhatsApp, added, “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.” 

In addition to the MyGov central helpline, similar services have been introduced in several states of India to empower users to find credible information both in English and their specific 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 our recently launched WhatsApp Coronavirus Information hub whatsapp.com/coronavirus.