GEORGE TOWN: The Communications and Multimedia Ministry is discussing ways to help media personnel who have been affected by the pandemic.

       Its Deputy Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin said media personnel in the country can be considered frontliners and the government should look into their welfare.

       "The minister and I are looking at ways to assist media personnel in the country, maybe with some allocations or any other sort of assistance," he said during a press conference at Jalan Angsana Health Clinic on Sunday (June 27).

       Zahidi said the government is also looking to help about 5,000 media personnel who have lost their jobs over the last two years.

       He said approaches like job placement or skills training might be useful for them.

       About 300 media personnel in Johor received a RM500 one-off payment from the state government in June under its Pakej Rangsangan Ekonomi Ihsan Johor 3.0.

       In May, a one-off incentive of RM1,500 was given by the Sarawak government to media personnel, which cost the state RM900,000.

       Zahidi was at the Jalan Angsana Health Clinic in Ayer Itam here where 117 media personnel in Penang were receiving their Covid-19 vaccine jabs.