Indian scribe died of Covid-19, PEC urges for alertness
T Navajyoti
Geneva/ Guwahati, 1 April: The global tally of novel corona virus
infected individuals among journalists has reached 970 in 72
countries, where a central India based scribe Pramod Srivastava
succumbed to Covid-19 complications recently to increase the country’s
casualties up to 58 till date in the backdrop of ongoing province
level elections in the country. Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the
Switzerland based organization focusing on safety of scribes, urges
everyone to be alert as the pandemic’s second wave hits many nations.
Peru continues to top the list of corona-victims with 135 casualties,
where Brazil (129 dead) and Mexico (90) follows the country, said
Blaise Lempen, secretary-general of PEC
(https://pressemblem.ch/) adding that those nations are followed by
Italy (51 dead), USA (46), Bangladesh (45), Ecuador (43), Colombia
(38), United Kingdom (28), Pakistan (25), Turkey (22), Panama (16),
Spain (15), Bolivia (14), Russia (14), Ukraine (14), etc.
It may be mentioned the PEC team started a corona-ticker since March
2020 to pay tributes to journalists killed by the pandemic around the
world. The safety of media workers is particularly at risk in this
health-related crisis because they have to continue providing
information. Many of them died for lack of adequate protective
measures when doing their job and hence the PEC requests early
vaccinations for journalists on the frontlines, stated Lempen.
Uttar Pradesh journalist Srivastava (48) was admitted to the hospital
with respiratory complains after he tested positive for Covid-19 on 25
March, where he died two days later. Many other journalists have also
tested positive for the infection as they continue playing the role of
corona warriors along with the doctors, nurses, sanitation workers
with others.
India as a nation lately witnesses a surge in corona infections as
over 72,300 fresh cases emerged in a single day. The populous country
recorded 1,22,21,665 Covid-19 cases with 1,62,927 casualties. PEC’s
India representative Nava Thakuria apprehended that as the election
process is going on in four major Indian States (Assam, West Bengal,
Kerala, Tamil Nadu with union territory Puducherry) and will continue
for a few more days, the reporters on the ground may get infected by
the virus.
