In the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the Mumbai Press Club has kick started a two-day camp to vaccinate more than 700 journalists and their family members. The camp will be held on 4th and 5th June at the club premises.
Journalists have been risking their lives reaching all corners of the city and the country to gather and transmit news. In these troubled times, it is absolutely essential that we do our best to create herd immunity by covering the maximum number of the immediate family, friends and staff by vaccinating them. This is the only long-term protection.
The club will be bearing the first vaccination cost for all members free of cost. To provide vaccination to all our 18 plus members, journalists, and their families, the Mumbai Press Club has tied up with Mumbai-based Surya Hospitals.
Considering the nature of the profession and the risks involved, the Maharashtra government should have taken the lead to cover all journalists with a vaccination programme. This would have provided safety and security to those who are at risk gathering and transmitting news as a function of public necessity.
It is therefore regrettable that the state government, for reasons best known to itself, has been inflexible on providing priority vaccination to journalists despite innumerable requests. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has ignored several letters sent to him by the Mumbai Press Club and other journalist organizations, as well as from his own cabinet colleagues.
Meanwhile, BMC has agreed to issue a letter to the Press Club that journalists will be given priority vaccinations at the club once they get the next stock of vaccines.
