JournalismPakistan.com | Published April 21, 2020
Join our WhatsApp channelISLAMABAD—Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has confirmed that at least 53 journalists in Mumbai have tested positive for COVID-19. The number is expected to increase.
BMC Health Committee member Amey Ghole told HuffPost India that samples of 167 journalists had been sent for testing. "Out of 167 samples, 53 have come positive for COVID-19," he said. "The number could go up."
These 53 journalists include news reporters, camera operators of news channels, and photojournalists.
Journalist Ashok Bagriya tweeted that an entire team of reporters of a television channel in Mumbai had tested positive.
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in Mumbai alone, over 2,700 people have tested positive.
Joint Health Secretary Lav Agarwal said at a daily press conference that it was unfortunate that journalists had tested positive for COVID-19.
In March, some journalists were found infected with the virus—two in Chennai and one from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.
The center had on March 25 imposed a three-week lockdown to battle fight against coronavirus. On April 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the lockdown till May 3.
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