'Journalists have supported the fight against the pandemic as frontline workers for communication, spreading awareness and giving out correct information,' the Uttarakhand government said in a statement
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Saturday declared all journalists in the state as frontline workers and allowed them to get vaccinated against coronavirus without any age restrictions, said state government.
"Journalists have supported the fight against the pandemic as frontline workers for communication, spreading awareness and giving out correct information," the Uttarakhand government said in a statement.
"Since the time the lockdown started and the country eased it gradually, even officers and employees of the information department have been constantly involved in communication and spreading awareness about correct information in tasks related to fighting COVID-19," the government said.
Meanwhile, Expressing concern over a spike in coronavirus cases, CM Rawat on Friday directed officials to focus on testing and treatment of coronavirus patients besides extending vaccination facilities to rural areas, according to a statement.
Uttarakhand should become a state with 100 per cent vaccination, the chief minister said during a review meeting, asking officials to prepare a fool-proof plan for this.
He asked officials to ensure compliance of the treatment protocol to reduce the fatality rate.
Rawat said fresh awareness campaigns should be held involving people who command social respect to teach people the importance of masks, hand sanitisation and social distancing.
The chief minister, who is himself working from isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 on March 22, asked officials to ramp up testing in view of the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Haridwar and make arrangements required for the safety of people during the forthcoming "Char Dham Yatra" season.
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Premium Premium On Friday, Uttarakhand reported 364 COVID-19 cases, 194 recoveries and 2 deaths today. With these new cases, the cumulative count of the infections in the state has reached 1,01,275, while the active cases stood at 2,404. The death toll in the state has mounted to 1,721
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