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Ajit Pawar blames Centre for intermittent vaccine supply
At the Friday’s Covid-19 Review meeting, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said that despite promises made by the centre, that after June, production of Covid-19 vaccines would increase and supply would be uninterrupted in July, supply continues to remain interrupted
At the Friday’s Covid-19 Review meeting, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said that despite promises made by the centre, that after June, production of Covid-19 vaccines would increase and supply would be uninterrupted in July, supply continues to remain interrupted.
This even as the state government is contemplating opening up more services, including factories and malls, for those fully vaccinated.
Pawar said, “We were assured that the production of vaccines would become 100% by the end of June and so by July, supply would be uninterrupted. However, that has not happened. Even in July we have had to shut down some centres for vaccination because there were no vaccines.”
Pune district has seen over 5.52 million people get the Covid-19 vaccine, of which 4.25 million have got their first shot, while 1.26 million got their second shot.
Pawar also said that the state government is contemplating opening up more services, including starting public places like malls, for those who fully vaccinated and with a certificate for the same.
He said, “Even though people have the option to get vaccines from government or private hospitals, we have asked companies and factories, and employers to vaccinate their staff with both the vaccines; then they can r-open the companies. Also in the case of malls, although we have started retail shops, the situation is that the people do not just shop in malls, they tend to spend more time and roam around. This is the reason why malls and shops inside the malls are shut. However, if people have got both the vaccine shots and are fully vaccinated, then we can think about allowing the malls to open. Malls can allow those with certificates of being fully vaccinated to enter their premises.”
However, Pawar also added that despite being fully vaccinated, people must ensure that Covid-19 appropriate behaviour is followed, including wearing of masks and social distancing at all times.
He said, “It is important that we start the economic cycle. Unlike the first wave, we do not want to shut down everything if there is another wave, and so vaccination is important.”
Ongoing restrictions to continue in Pune
Ajit Pawar said that the ongoing restrictions, including the weekend restrictions and the curfew post 5 pm would continue in Pune. He said, “Pune is still at level 3 as of now. We also have a few districts in Maharashtra which have reported 0 positivity in the past few days, however, to avoid a third wave, we will continue with the ongoing restrictions.” He also warned of stricter action against people crowding popular tourist spots during the weekends.
