Page 37 - FINAL SWATHYA Health Journal Vo1 Issue1 April 1st 2020
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NEWS
CJA warns against misuse of emergency powers to silence
independent media coverage of the global pandemic
The CJA calls on the governments of vulnerable minorities and to avoid social
all member states to support the critical tensions and distress.
role of independent media in reporting The CJA regrets that in some
on all aspects of the unfolding pandemic. member states, governments have
Here is a quote from Mahendra Ved, been using emergency and special
President, Commonwealth Journalists powers to influence media reporting
Association: “Governments need to work on the crisis, to restrict media access to
with the media and civil society. Gagging sources of information, and to harass
either or both of them, in whatever or arrest journalists who publish news
name, will only defeat the fight against critical of government. It calls on all
the pandemic. Please do not shoot the Commonwealth governments to give the
messenger.“ media fair access to information and to
The CJA recognises that in order to official spokespersons and specialists,
The Commonwealth Journalists respond to the public health emergency and to ensure that emergency powers do
Association is deeply concerned it may be necessary for governments to not restrict the media’s right to report on
introduce emergency measures which matters of public interest.
that some Commonwealth member
restrict certain freedoms, but it reminds The Coronavirus crisis is the most
states have responded to the
governments that those powers should be serious global health challenge the world
coronavirus pandemic by assuming exercised proportionately, transparently, has faced for decades. Efforts to tackle it
extraordinary powers which may and only for the temporary purpose of must not be allowed to undermine the
have the effect of criminalising the dealing with the emergency. democratic values which underpin the
At this time of crisis, the modern Commonwealth. The CJA calls on
work of journalists and arbitrarily
dissemination of accurate news and well- member states to work with the media
restricting the ability of the news
informed discussion about the impact of and civil society to ensure that their
media to scrutinise the actions the pandemic nationally and globally societies are well informed and that at all
of governments and report in the is vital if governments are to maintain times fundamental rights and the rule of
public interest. public trust, to ensure fair treatment of law are respected.
England’s chief medical officer
predicts Social distancing ‘could
last until the end of 2020’
Social distancing measures could
remain in place until the end of
the year without a vaccine for
coronavirus, England’s chief
medical officer has said. Professor
Chris Whitty told the daily Downing
Street press conference that some
restrictions would need to remain
in place as the probability of having
a vaccine or effective drugs to treat
the virus within the next calendar
year was “incredibly small”. A
sudden easing of restrictions Professor Chris Whitty
would be a “wholly unreasonable”
England’s chief medical officer
expectation, Professor Whitty warned, saying the path out of the
lockdown must be carefully plotted to prevent the virus from
spreading again and overwhelming the NHS.
The real death toll from Covid-19 in the UK is already more than
40,000, new analysis suggests, twice the total once described as “a
good result”. Fatalities from Covid-19 have gone over the 20,000
mark, so far, but that figure counts only those who have died in
hospitals after testing positive for the virus. Meanwhile, the Office
for National Statistics has found that the number of registered
deaths in the week ending 10 April was 75 per cent higher.
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