Mandatory full vaccination rule for shops, malls not practical, say Mumbai traders

Their contention is, though the move is noble, it is not practical as the state faces an acute shortage of vaccines

The state government’s mandate to compulsorily employ fully vaccinated employees in their premises has acted as a spoiler for the shopkeepers, offices and malls. Their contention is, though the move is noble, it is not practical as the state faces an acute shortage of vaccines.

Vaccination closed due to non-availability of Covid-19 vaccines at Jumbo Covid-19 Vaccination Centre, Dahisar, on Thursday. (HT PHOTO)

The state government, while easing the lockdown restrictions, had announced that all those who are working in shops, offices and malls need to be fully vaccinated and must complete another 14 days after receiving the second dose.

The Chamber of Associations of Maharashtra Industries and Trade (CAMIT), an association of traders and manufacturers termed the order as impractical. “We appreciate the concerns of the government, but at the same time, we need to keep in mind that there is a shortage of vaccines,” said Mohan Gurnani, chairman, CAMIT.

Gurnani cited that if anyone has taken his first dose of Covishield in August, he will be getting his second dose in November. In the case of Covaxin, he will have to wait for 28 days and then another 14 days for antibodies to develop before joining work.

The Retailers Association of India (RAI), while welcoming the opening of malls, called the vaccination clause regressive. “Majority of the people working in malls are in the age bracket of 18-45 years. How can we resume the operations of the malls if they are not allowed to come to work?” questioned Kumar Rajgopalan, chief executive officer, RAI.

Even hotels and restaurants, that are now allowed to operate till 10pm questioned the decision. “Till now, we were allowed to operate till 4pm without our staff getting vaccinated. Now after the extending the timings by six hours, they want us to be fully vaccinated,” rued Amrish Arora, managing director, Fountain Hospitality Private Limited (FHPL), which runs four restaurants including Flamboyante and Fountain Sizzlers, “We are ready to get our staff tested every 15 days,” he added.