In a letter, the NBA has asked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to allow inter-state movement of media persons including reporters, cameramen, anchors and other support staff for an uninterrupted coverage of Coronavirus Pandemic.
The UP government on Tuesday sealed the Noida-Delhi border as a preventive measure amid the Coronavirus crisis. The Delhi-Noida border has been sealed till further orders to stop the spread of the Covid-19 in Noida.
The order issued by the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration stated that only essential services and health workers who would carry valid pass issued by the authorities were being allowed by the police at the border.
The representative body for news channels in India, in its letter, requested the UP government to issue instructions to permit media personnel to commute and travel for work and professional purposes, including across the Delhi-Noida border, on the basis of their photo identity cards issued by the respective news channels.
Here's the letter written by National Broadcasters Association to UP CM Yogi Adityanath:
The letter by NBA seeking permission for movement of journalists and media staff was issued after GB Nagar administration made it clear that special e-passes will be issued for others, who want to pass through with a valid reason.
The order to seal the Delhi-Noida border was issued after the state Health Department found that many who have tested positive for Coronavirus in Noida in the past few days have had a connection with Delhi, where the number of Covid-19 cases has topped 2,000.
"As per a report submitted by the doctors, recently, most of the patients who have been tested positive, have had some connections with Delhi," the order issued by Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Suhas LY said in a tweet and attached the copy of the order stating the reasons for sealing the border.
Media persons, as per the current order, will be allowed to travel between the cities only after they obtain passes from the District Magistrate Office or Police Commissioner Office.
The number of positive cases in Noida and Greater Noida as of Tuesday evening crossed 100-mark. Of the total 102 cases reported, 43 patients have since been cured and discharged whereas 59 are undergoing treatment at various hospitals. The UP government has identified as many as 28 Covid-19 hotspots in this district of Uttar Pradesh.