Delhi govt tells staff to get vaccinated by October 15 or miss work

The Delhi government has at least 200 departments, such as finance, revenue, health, education, home, water, power, transport, urban development, excise, social welfare, which employ around 500,000 workers

In the first major vaccine mandate in the national capital, it has been made compulsory for all state government employees to be at least partially inoculated against Covid-19 by October 15, failing which they will not be allowed to attend work, and their absence from duty will be counted as leave, said an official order from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday.

According to the CoWin dashboard, nearly 12.5 million people in the Capital have got at least one jab of the vaccine. (AP)

To be sure, Assam earlier this month put in place a mandate for its government staff, while Odisha made jabs compulsory for all its staff in Bhubaneswar.

“All government employees working in departments, autonomous bodies, PSUs, local bodies, and education institutions under government of NCT [National Capital Territory] of Delhi, including frontline workers, health workers, as well as teachers and other staff working in schools and colleges, should get vaccinated (at least first dose) by 15.10.2021 as per prevailing guidelines and protocols prescribed for vaccination by the Union government,” said the order, a copy of which HT has reviewed.

It added, “The aforementioned government employees, health workers, front line workers, teachers, and other staff in schools and colleges, who do not get vaccinated (at least first dose) by 15.10.2021 shall not be allowed to attend their respective offices, healthcare institutions and educational institutions with effect from 16.10.2021 till they have obtained the first dose vaccination. The said period of absence from duty shall be treated as ‘on leave’ till the administration of the first dose of vaccination.”

To be sure, there is currently no provision for state government employees in Delhi to work remotely.

According to the CoWin dashboard, nearly 12.5 million people in the Capital have got at least one jab of either Covishield, Covaxin, or Sputnik V — the three vaccines currently available across the country. Of these, 6,393,602 have taken both doses and completed their Covid-19 immunisation regimen.

According to government estimates, the city has a total adult population of 15 million.

Delhi has so far recorded around 1.44 million Covid-19 cases and 25,088 deaths. A bulk of these infections came between April and May this year, when the Capital was struck by its fourth and most brutal wave of the pandemic yet.

With the festival season approaching, DDMA’s decision comes at an important juncture. Between Dussehra and Diwali last year, Delhi witnessed its third wave of the viral disease, peaking at 8,593 new cases a day in mid-November.

The Delhi government has at least 200 departments, such as finance, revenue, health, education, home, water, power, transport, urban development, excise, social welfare, which employ around 500,000 workers.

The heads of Delhi government departments concerned have been entrusted with monitoring the process and verifying each employee’s vaccination status.

On September 29, the state government’s education department made it mandatory for teachers and staff in its schools to get at least one jab of a Covid-19 vaccine by October 15.

A senior government official said a recent internal survey showed that more than 90% government employees have taken one dose of the vaccine so far.

Health experts hailed the government’s move.

Dr Lalit Kant, former head of epidemiology at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said, “It is a good move. Government offices are closed spaces. There is always a risk of transmission, especially in departments that involve public dealings.”

“Many government employees are also parents of school-going children. This policy will ensure that not only are school staff vaccinated, but consequently a large number of parents are vaccinated too. This is an important decision ahead of the festive season,” said Dr Jugal Kishore, head of the community medicines department at Safdarjung Hospital.

“However, from a public health point of view, such orders can be problematic. The government should invest more on encouraging people, even its employees, to get vaccinated voluntarily.”

Currently, there are hardly any restrictions in Delhi other than on political, social, religious, and other gatherings; a a cap on the number of guests in restaurants and bars; and on in-person lessons for students below Class 9.