Newspaper vendors fight myths with facts amid Covid-19 crisis

No one has been infected by Sars-Cov-2 through newspapers or packages, with scientific research showing the virus does not survive on porous surfaces.

Gopal Chauhan has been distributing newspapers in Lajpat Nagar for the last 30 years. Every day, with clockwork precision, Chauhan ensures that his customers get their daily dose of latest news, views and information. For four days between March 23 and March 26, however, Chauhan could not do his job, which he proudly says, is an important one.

Vendors arrange different vernacular newspaper before delivering it to customers during the nationwide lockdown amid coronavirus pandemic, at Ganeshguri in Guwahati. (PTI)

“I have always taken pride in my job. I know that my customers wait for me eagerly each morning. I know their day is incomplete if I don’t deliver the newspaper,” said Chauhan, in the context of the nationwide lockdown in which several housing societies and RWAs had stopped accepting newspapers fearing the coronavirus infection.

No one has been infected by Sars-Cov-2 through newspapers or packages, with scientific research showing the virus does not survive on porous surfaces. The particular sterility of newsprint makes newspapers safe, world’s top scientists and researchers have said.

“Initially, I had stopped because some of my customers suspended the service, so I assumed that others will also not accept. But from fifth day onwards, I started getting so many calls from my customers, asking for the newspaper,” Chauhan said.

In its guidelines related to the national lockdown to stave off the spread of Sars-Cov-2 infection released on March 23, the Union home ministry had included media in the list of essential services along with others such as banking, hospitals and ration shops.

This means there is no bar on the distribution of newspapers or the movement of journalists.

Chauhan, like hundreds of other vendors, who are helping in the fight against Covid-19 by ensuring dissemination of credible and scientific information through newspapers, said: “At a time like this, the newspaper is even more important. Besides information, during any crisis, it is the newspaper that gives voice to the common man,” said Chauhan. He said he was making all-out efforts to connect with his customers and convincing them to resume the delivery of newspapers.

Dinesh Kumar, a newspaper vendor who has 32 distributors working under him, said despite several condominiums and gated societies in Gurugram refusing to accept their daily supply of newspapers, his men were still going out every day and leaving the bundles at the gates.

Kumar said he has been in the business of newspaper distribution for the past 17 years. Every morning, Kumar reaches IFFCO Chowk centre in Gurgaon from where his distribution team sorts and picks newspapers before going out to deliver them across the city.

Asked why he was continuing despite customers not accepting newspapers, Kumar said: “This is a social service. There is so much fake news on the internet and social media. It is only the newspaper that tells the truth,” he said. Like Chauhan, Kumar said he was trying to convince his customers to read the newspaper “even more” during this “critical time”.

He said sales have reduced by half. “We are going through a tough time. But my distributors are coming without fail every day, and I am trying my best to ensure that their salaries are paid on time,” said Kumar.

National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) director Dr Sujeet K Singh had earlier said it is untrue that newspapers can be a source of the Sars-Cov-2 infection. “There is no evidence to suggest that. If it was happening, we would have said so to stop the infection. What we know about the virus, for sure, right now is that it spreads largely through droplets and fomites [infected surfaces], not newspapers,” Singh said.

Several newspaper vendors and distributors in Delhi-NCR said they were struggling to figure out how to collect payments from their customers during lockdown. The biggest issue they say they are facing is that of discrimination from people who feel that the newspaper and those distributing it are carriers of the virus.

BP Singh Pradhan who has been distributing newspapers in central Delhi since 1984, said, “The fear of the virus is so strong that people have started to shun us. The idea that the newspaper spreads coronavirus is misplaced. Even we are touching the newspaper to deliver it to people. But has anyone thought about our health?” asked Pradhan.

The vendors and distributors said they were taking all precautions to ensure that they operate with safety gear such as gloves and masks and sanitise their hands.

“I am also trying to spread awareness through various means that the newspaper does not spread coronavirus,” said Kumar.

Emphasising the need for newspapers to reach people, additional commissioner of police MS Randhawa, who is also the city police’s spokesperson, said that police personnel are ensuring that no vendor or distributor is stopped from delivering newspapers.

The officer said, “It was reported that some newspaper agents, distributors were blocked from distributing the paper. An order has already been issued to all the district deputy commissioners of police to instruct all beat level officers to allow newspaper delivery. The distribution of papers takes place between 4am and 9am. Delhi police will ensure that citizens are not deprived of their daily newspapers.”