New Delhi, March 23 Allaying the people's fears about the likely spread of novel coronavirus through handling of newspapers, those associated with the printing and distribution of different dailies on Monday maintained that newspapers were safe.
They pointed out that the printing and packaging was done automatically with least involvement of human hands.
The clarification came after the reports that readers in parts of the country had stopped daily delivery of newspapers due to fears that these will spread coronavirus.
During such times, newspapers are an important medium or tool to get updates on the developments across the country, the officials concerned said.
The World Health Organisation too has clarified that the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching virus from a package exposed to different weather conditions and temperatures is also low.
Print Media outlets told that newspaper pages are made by designers who have only to transfer news to the pages in digital form, before these are forwarded to the printing presses. The printing machines are fully automatic, handling the entire printing process.
People involved in transportation and distribution are since being sanitised to ensure newspapers are health-wise risk-free.
( With inputs from IANS )