Pune: Stakeholders ask govt to include NGO members in list of frontline workers to get them vaccinated

The Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture has written to the local, state and national authorities saying as cases continue to rise in Pune, getting more and more people vaccinated fast is the need of the hour.

The Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) on Thursday asked the government to include members of NGOs in the frontline workers’ list to get them vaccinated at the earliest.

The association’s president, Sudhir Mehta, told The Indian Express that social workers and members of various NGOs have been working tirelessly since the pandemic hit the country. “It is a cruel joke that NGO workers are not being classified as frontline workers. They have been working since day one and must be vaccinated at the earliest,” he added. Mehta and others have already written to local, state and national authorities regarding their demand of broadening the definition of frontline workers.

– Stay updated with the latest Pune news. Follow Express Pune on Twitter here and on Facebook here. You can also join our Express Pune Telegram channel here.

The ongoing third phase of Covid-19 vaccination is meant for senior citizens and people above 45 years of age who have co-morbidities. Frontline workers, which include healthcare personnel, police etc, are also eligible for the vaccine and many of them have already got their two shots.

Demands have also been raised to vaccinate people who run grocery stores and vegetable vendors. Such people, during the last crisis, were designated as super-spreaders as they come in contact with a lot of people throughout the day. Cities like Ludhiana have included bankers and judges in the frontline workers’ list and are getting them vaccinated.

With Pune recording exponential growth in Covid-19 cases, Mehta said the need of the hour is to ensure more and more people get vaccinated fast. “If this is not done, the crisis will soon go out of our control,” he added.

Source: Read Full Article