COVID Crisis: Apple CEO Tim Cook pledges support to India

Playing good Samaritan, Apple CEO Tim Cook has pledged support for India’s efforts to fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has left hundreds of people dead as states struggle to deal with increasing caseloads. Cook said on Twitter that the company will be making donations and aid relief efforts on the ground.

“Amid a devastating rise of COVID cases in India, our thoughts are with the medical workers, our Apple family and everyone there who is fighting through this awful stage of the pandemic. Apple will be donating to support and relief efforts on the ground,” Cook said in a tweet.

This move comes a day after Apple’s Big Tech peers Google, Microsoft and Amazon assured help to the country’s relief efforts. In a show of solidarity, CEOs of some 40 top American companies have come together to create a global task force to mobilise resources to help India fight the battle against COVID-19.

Indian-origin Google CEO Sundar Pichai has committed Rs 135 crore for medical supplies and organisations supporting high-risk communities. This includes two grants totalling Rs 20 crore from its philanthropic arm Google.org to online donation platform Give India and UNICEF. The funding also includes donations from more than 900 Google employees, who have contributed Rs 3.7 crore for organisations supporting high-risk and marginalised communities.

Besides, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella committed to support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices.

Meanwhile, Amazon also also joined hands with ACT Grants, Temasek Foundation, and Pune Platform for COVID-19 Response (PPCR) among several industry partners to airlift over 8,000 oxygen concentrators and 500 BiPAP machines from Singapore. It said the equipment will be donated to hospitals and public institutions in various cities.