Collective groups and organisations like the Editors Guild of India and the Press Council of India have demanded that journalists are declared frontline workers.
Since journalists move around the field extensively to bring news to society, this pandemic has been a tough time for them. As of April 28, 2021, as many as 101 journalists/photojournalists have died of Covid-19 since April 2020. These are only the verified numbers and deaths in small and local media are not ruled out.
The organisations of journalists have also demanded group insurance for journalists.
Meanwhile, states including Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have declared journalists as frontline workers. They will be administered vaccines on a priority basis, say the states.
When YOCee’s student reporters get busy, the team at YOCee’s small office takes up the role of the reporters, does the rounds, writes copies and files reports. The team also posts useful info and ePapers produced in-house.