Delhi to start Covid-19 testing for media persons after 53 Mumbai journalists test positive

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said journalists are also on the front line in Covid-19 battle, can undergo tests at centers from 22 April.

A doctor places a thermometer into a patient's ear during coronavirus symptom tests. (Representational Image) | Krisztian Bocsi | Bloomberg

New Delhi: The Delhi government will start COVID-19 testing for mediapersons from Wednesday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday, after 53 scribes tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Mumbai.

Addressing the media online, the chief minister said his government has set up a centre where free COVID-19 tests will be conducted on mediapersons.

Journalists are also at the frontline in the battle against COVID-19, he added.

“We have set up a centre. All media houses and journalists will be informed about it. Interested mediapersons can undergo tests at the centre from Wednesday morning,” Kejriwal said.

Earlier in the day, responding to a tweet in which a person requested the chief minister to make arrangements for mass COVID-19 testing for mediapersons in Delhi on the lines of Mumbai, Kejriwal said, “Sure. We will do that.”

Alarmed over 53 journalists testing positive for COVID-19 in neighbouring Maharashtra, the Karnataka government on Tuesday also decided to conduct a health checkup camp for journalists in Bengaluru.

During a special camp organised at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai on April 16 and 17 for COVID-19 testing of scribes, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had collected the swab samples of 171 mediapersons, including electronic and print media journalists, photographers and cameramen.

“Of the 171 mediapersons, 53 tested positive for coronavirus,” BMC spokesperson Vijay Khabale said on Monday, adding that most of those who tested positive are asymptomatic at present.

On Monday, the total number of coronavirus cases rose to 2,081 in Delhi, with 78 fresh cases and two deaths reported in a day.