Ahmedabad civic body forms 100 teams to enforce 'no vax, no entry' rule

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has formed 100 teams to ensure that its 'no vaccine-no entry' rule is being implemented in the city to prohibit those people who have not taken anti-coronavirus vaccine doses so far, from visiting public places like malls and restaurants, an official said on Wednesday.

The civic body launched the drive on Tuesday evening to identify and warn unvaccinated people, he said.

Out of the 3,000 people that these teams checked inside several malls, hotels and restaurants on day one, they caught 28 people who were yet to get either the second dose or both the doses, he added.

"The drive was launched across the city by the solid waste management department of the corporation from Tuesday evening and will continue in the coming days to ensure that eligible people take COVID-19 vaccine doses," said H J Solanki, director of the SWM department.

Last month, the AMC had asked the management of malls, commercial complexes, hotels and restaurants to restrict the entry of those who have not taken the anti-coronavirus vaccine doses.

The civic body had ordered that people above 18 years of age, who have not taken their second or even the first dose, must not be allowed to enter such private establishments.

In order to check if this rule is being followed, the AMC has formed 100 teams for all the seven zones of the city and launched a drive from Tuesday evening, he said, adding that these teams visited nearly 180 establishments, such as malls, hotels and restaurants in the city from Tuesday evening and caught 28 persons who had entered these places without taking either both the doses or the second dose, said Solanki.

"We warned these 28 people and asked them to take their doses at the earliest. In all, our teams checked nearly 3,000 persons inside these malls, hotels and restaurants yesterday. Our drive will continue in the coming days," Solanki said.

A top health official of the AMC had on Tuesday admitted that at least four lakh residents of Ahmedabad city have not taken the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine despite being eligible for the same.

To ensure 100 per cent vaccination, the AMC has already launched a door-to-door survey to trace those people who have not taken the doses, the civic body's medical officer of health Dr Bhavin Solanki had said.

As per an official release, the AMC has administered 77.27 lakh doses so far, including 47.43 lakh first and 29.83 lakh second jabs.