An apartment complex in Bengaluru surprised a resident who has been working to battle the COVID-19 pandemic over the past month, by applauding her from their balconies when she finally returned to the apartment after a gap of over two weeks.
A video from Ranka Heights, an apartment complex in Domlur, posted on their Facebook page shows residents lauding the doctor who has been a frontline worker against the novel coronavirus. The video has also been shared by the official Twitter handle of NITI Aayog, the central government’s policy think tank, winning plaudits from many users online.
In the video, Dr Vijayashree, in a red kurta, is seen tearing up even as residents clap for the doctor for well over a minute. The doctor is also seen folding her hands as a way of saying thank you for the appreciation. The apartment residents continue clapping and cheering for the doctor.
Standing in the hall of fame
— NITI Aayog (@NITIAayog) May 4, 2020
And the world's gonna know your name
Dr. Vijayashree received a warm welcome with claps and cheer when she returned home after tending to #COVID19 patients in @MSRMHOfficial.
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: @BBMP_Mayor pic.twitter.com/ZICKE8dRJL
In another video posted by the Ranka Heights Facebook page, the doctor speaks about her work. She thanks everyone for welcoming her, even while doctors in other places have been evicted for doing the same work as she did.
“I would like to say that it was not just me, but a whole group of doctors at Indira Gandhi who were working 8-hour and 12-hour shifts in those PPE to serve COVID patients, it’s really a heart-warming gesture, and I’m really proud to be a doctor today,” she says.
She adds that she was glad to be back, as her parents were really tense in the two weeks that she was posted in the COVID ward. “Stay safe, and let’s all tide over this together,” she ends.
Karnataka has gradually reduced the stringency of the lockdown as the rate of cases has not increased drastically, and the number of active and recovered cases in the state is beginning to level up.
A Telugu channel had earlier reported that this instance had occurred in Telangana’s Hyderabad. However, a fact-checking site found that the video was in fact from Karnataka.