Two journalists test positive for coronavirus in Chennai

In a first in Tamil Nadu, two 24-year-old male journalists in Chennai tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday (April 19).

One of them is a civic issue beat reporter for a local daily and another a television journalist in a Tamil news channel.

The print reporter is a resident of Triplicane and had been assigned to report on COVID-19 for the past few weeks.

He was tested on Saturday night and the positive reports arrived on Sunday afternoon. Some 50 other people who share the ‘mansion’ where the reporter from Triplicane stayed are to be tested and quarantined. (A mansion indicates a large building with many rooms that are rented out to people usually on a monthly basis. There are many mansions in the Triplicane area and thousands of young people, usually in new jobs or pursuing various courses, stay in these buildings).

According to corporation officials, the reporter did not come in contact with any COVID patient.

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He had, however, frequently visited Ripon building among other places for reporting. Since the lockdown was announced, he only used to go to the office in Mylapore.

He himself went to the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital to get tested after he thought he had symptoms.

The TV reporter from Royapuram is a sub-editor with the local channel.

His father is a policeman and he used to stay with family at the police quarters.

A corporation official said the process of tracing contacts and quarantining will be done accordingly and his father has tested negative.

So far, three of his family members have been placed under quarantine and rest undergone sample test and they are awaiting results.

The patient has been taken to Stanley hospital for treatment.

The first positive case was reported in Tamil Nadu on March 8.