Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Preeti Sharma Menon on Monday requested Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to declare journalists as frontline workers and provide them vaccination against COVID-19 on priority.
"I request @OfficeofUT @PawarSpeaks to treat journalists and camera crew as frontline workers and provide them vaccination on priority," Preeti Sharma Menon tweeted.
Preeti Sharma Menon's request came after NDTV journalist Sohit Mishra questioned the administration over reports of deaths of journalists due to COVID-19 in Mumbai. He tweeted in Hindi, "Will any arrangement be made to provide vaccines to journalists in Mumbai or will should we continue our work in fear of hearing reports of deaths of journalists daily?" "Journalists will continue to work daily, but it is very sad that from the first day there has been no announcement for those who tell the ground reality," he added.
According to a list compiled by the Network of Women in Media, as many as 165 journalists have lost their lives to COVID-19 over the past year. Reportedly, almost 60 of those deaths have come in the last one month alone. Additionally, over 50 journalists have died due to COVID-related complications since January 2021, reported Firstpost.
Meanwhile, several states have declared journalists as frontline workers. It includes Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, and Uttarakhand.