Information Minister of Punjab Fayyazul Hassan Chohan has announced the relief package for the family of the journalists who pass away due to coronavirus.

He was addressing media in Lahore.

Fayyazul Hassan Chohan said provincial information ministry will pay Rs10,000 monthly pension for life if any journalist passes away due to coronavirus.

He said the government will pay Rs 0.1 million relief fund to the family of any journalist who may pass away due to the deadly disease.

Besides, Chohan said the provincial government will also pay Rs100,000 to any journalist who contracts Covid-19 while reporting on the situation.

He added the Punjab information ministry will provide masks and protective gear to newspaper hawkers in a bid to protect them from the virus.

“The protective equipment will be handed to the union president tomorrow,” Fayyazul Hassan Chohan stated.

Chohan maintained that Punjab government has decided to give tax exemptions to media houses and clear their pending dues so that they don’t have to face financial losses due to the ongoing coronavirus situation.

He expressed hope that the impact of the tax exemption and payment of dues would also reach media workers.

The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Punjab rose to 2,279 on Friday morning, according to Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar. CM Buzdar said the province had conducted 31,535 tests of the virus so far.