53 mediapersons test coronavirus positive in Mumbai

At least 53 media persons from Mumbai have tested positive for coronavirus, a city civic official said on Monday. During a special camp organized at the Azad Maidan here on April 16 and 17 for COVID-19 testing of scribes, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) collected swab samples of 171 media persons, including electronic and print media journalists, photographers and cameramen.

"Out of the 171 media persons, 53 tested positive for coronavirus," BMC spokesperson Vijay Khabale said, adding that most of those who tested positive are asymptomatic at present. All the media persons found infected with coronavirus will be kept in isolation and a process was underway to find out suitable places to the purpose, he said.

Efforts were also on to trace their high and low-risk contacts. Till Sunday, Mumbai recorded 2,724 coronavirus cases and 132 deaths due to the disease.