23 journalists test COVID-19 positive in Hyderabad in a day

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, June 14

COVID-19 test results shocked the media in Hyderabad after 23 journalists covering various beats, including the Telangana secretariat, tested positive on Sunday. A total of 127 journalists were tested out of which 23, including some women, tested positive for coronavirus.

The rapid rise in the number of cases has forced the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government to issues orders allowing private labs in and around Hyderabad to test for COVID-19. Earlier, the government had issued a strict no to private testing.

With 23 new cases among the media, the total number of media personnel infected with COVID-19 has reached around 70, out of these almost 30 are being treated in hospitals, many are home quarantined. Most of those who have tested positive would be sent to hospitals as some have been showing symptoms for a few days.

Most media organisations have asked their staff to work from home, ever since the lockdown. The biggest brunt has been borne by the field staff.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state has now crossed 4,900 and another MLA of the TRS has tested positive, taking the number of MLA infected with Corona to two. The Nizamabad Rural MLA Bajireddy Goverdhan has been found infected by the virus. The MLA was unwell for the last four days and he, along with his wife, underwent a Covid-19 test on Saturday.

Earlier on June 7, a 36-year-old TV journalist, Manoj had died of COVID-19 in the state, while on 30 May, three cameramen and one senior journalist had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. All four were asymptomatic, according to health officials.

Alarmed at the development, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao declared that it was decided to contain the spread of coronavirus with strict measures in Hyderabad and its surrounding areas. He also declared that 50,000 coronavirus tests would be conducted in 30 Assembly segments of Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Vikarabad, Medchel, and Sangareddy Districts in the next one week to 10 days as a precautionary measure.

The CM has also instructed the officials to prepare guidelines for the private hospitals and Labs to conduct COVID tests, offer treatment and the fee to be paid strictly following the COVID conditions.

The CM held a high-level review meeting here on Pragathi Bhavan on Sunday on the spread of the coronavirus and the containment measures.

“We have taken a decision to conduct tests on 50,000 people as a precaution to protect Hyderabad. People should not panic. Besides taking measures on a war footing to contain the virus, the government is in all preparedness to offer medical treatment to the patients with all the commitment and alertness,” the CM has said.