53 journos test positive for Covid-19 at health camp

Fifty-three journalists from across the city were confirmed to be positive for Covid-19 on Monday after they were tested at a health camp last week. Mayor Kishori

Fifty-three journalists from across the city were confirmed to be positive for Covid-19 on Monday after they were tested at a health camp last week. Mayor Kishori Pednekar, who was also present at the event, tested negative for the coronavirus but has quarantined herself at the Mayor Bungalow in Byculla as a precautionary measure.

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The 53 infected are among 171 journalists whose swab samples were collected by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday, at a special health camp organised for media professionals. Pednekar interacted with journalists at the camp.

In a video posted on Twitter, Pednekar said, “Even though I have tested negative, I will remain home quarantined for two weeks. All official work will be done from my home. My staff will also remain in the house under quarantine. After two days, we will get all the staff tested. At the end of two weeks, we will get all the staff tested again.”

All 53 of the reporters, video journalists, and photojournalists who tested positive were asymptomatic. The BMC has decided to move them to a Covid care centre (CCC) in the western suburbs.

Daksha Shah, BMC’s deputy executive health officer said on Monday evening, “BMC is working out the logistics of moving all 53 journalists to an institutional quarantine facility, where they will be observed over the next two weeks. We have set up a facility in the western suburbs with a doctor and a nurse on call to observe these persons. They can also self-report any symptoms.”

The BMC received the results of the journalists’ tests on Monday morning and began calling them individually, asking them to stay put where ever they were. “When we informed these journalists, we told them not to leave their homes, offices, or whatever indoor rooms they were in until BMC healthcare staff reached there to move them to a hospital, as was initially planned,” said a civic official.

“Some of the journalists volunteered to travel to a hospital, but were told them not to do so, as it would risk them coming in contact with at least a few more people on the way,” the official added.

Families of these journalists have been placed under home quarantine for now and will be monitored for any symptoms over the next two weeks.

On the seventh or eighth day from Thursday, BMC will collect samples of all family members of the 53 journalists. Amey Ghole, BMC’s health committee chairman said, “There is little point in testing family members before the seventh day. They may test negative, but may become positive after a week.”

BMC has also decided to verify these 53 test results in a government laboratory, as they were made in a private laboratory.