LIMA, June 3, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – At least 20 journalists have died from the
coronavirus outbreak in Peru, most of them infected while reporting on the
pandemic, often with little protection, the country’s journalists’ union
reported Tuesday.
Peru is Latin America’s second worst-hit country after Brazil with more than
170,000 cases and 4,600 deaths.
“As of June 1, the number of dead colleagues is 20 in all of the country,”
said Zuliana Lainez of the National Association of Journalists.
Many of them contracted the disease while reporting from streets, markets
and hospitals on the effects of the virus, without proper protective
equipment, Lainez said.
“They have gone to hospitals, which are foci of infection, with homemade
masks,” she said.
Seven of the victims were from Loreto, in the Amazon basin, one of Peru’s
worst affected areas.
A large proportion of journalists who fell victim to the virus were
freelancers, with none of the protections afforded to company employees.
“Journalists dying from COVID-19 confirms the urgency of addressing health
protection and job insecurity,” the union said.