Coronavirus: Over 50 mediapersons test positive in Maharashtra

More than 50 mediapersons in Mumbai tested COVID-19 positive on Monday.

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had conducted a camp last week, during which swabs were collected.

The Television Journalists Association (TVJA) had made a request to organise the camp for the mediapersons working in the field on a daily basis.

The camp was held on Thursday and Friday and swabs of 171 mediapersons including photographers, TV camerapersons, videojournalists and reporters were collected.

On Monday, the reports came in and so far 53 of them tested COVID-19 positive.

"Yes, the information that we received from BMC is that 53 of those who attended the camp were found COVID-19 positive," TVJA president Vinod Jagdale told DH.

The BMC called all of them individually to immediately be under home quarantine. They would be shifted to institutional quarantine.

Most of them are asymptomatic, however, still the BMC is not taking any chances and they would be put on institutional quarantine.Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar has put her in self isolation for 14 days. She took this decision after some of journalists with whom she came in contact in last few days tested positive for COVID-19.

In a related development, two staff members of BMC's disaster control room had been tested positive. In fact, around a fortnight ago, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Health Minister Rajesh Tope had visited the control room, separately.