Pemra issues coronavirus advisory to media houses

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Friday issued an advice to the television channels and FM radio stations to exercise caution with regard to their staff members vis-a-vis the coronavirus.

The authority, through a communication, said the situation necessitated that each and every enterprise should adopt best practices as advised by the health experts and institutions in order to overcome this issue.

“Since the virus is spreading mainly through respiratory droplets (especially when people cough or sneeze), therefore, social distancing is the only solution to stop and control the spread of the virus as it helps reduce the probability of catching the virus and then spreading it to others, unintentionally,” it said.

“All media houses are requested to ensure safety of their employees and adopt/facilitate precautionary measures including but not limited to social distancing. It is also advised that schedule for production of news content may be looked into on compassionate grounds and reschedule accordingly that will save the actors and supporting staff/ crew from spread of this disease,” the Authority said.