Around 18,000 staff including teachers, police personnel and revenue officials identified for poll duty would be given the COVID-19 vaccine, said K. Senthil Raj, District Collector-cum-Election Officer here on Friday,
Speaking at a sensitisation meeting attended by the teachers and others, the Collector said that the Election Commission of India had issued broad guidelines on the conduct of the election.
In the present circumstances of COVID-19 pandemic, certain amends had also been done and hence, in the interest of the staff picked up for the poll duty, they were advised to take the vaccine, he clarified.
While some of the organisations and employees unions had insisted that the vaccine dosage be given to those who volunteered, the officials maintained that it was strictly being done in their own interest.
There were about 12,000 teachers, 1,800 revenue staff, 1,300 rural development department personnel and another 3,000 policemen and officers, which accounted for about 18,000 staff. The Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital Dean Revathi Balan explained the salient features of the vaccine to the beneficiaries.
The administration had planned to open up 20 vaccine centres across different locations in the district, wherein the staff could get the vaccine administered over the next 10-20 days, Dr Senthil Raj said and added that daily, about 100-200 people can get the dosage by maintaining physical distancing norms.
Earlier, the Collector held a meeting with private kalyana mandapam and other choultry and lodge owners/representatives. District Revenue Officer Kannabiran, PA (general) Amudha, Assistant Collector (Training) Satishkumar and Election Tahsildar Raghu participated.
He said lodge owners shall keep a close vigil on the person's checking in their premises. They shall not entertain any mass gathering or distribution of any gift articles in their halls. In the event of any such incidents, the officials would take stern action as per the ECI norms, he warned.