The Territorial government of Puducherry has announced that the COVID19 vaccination is compulsory in the Union Territory with immediate effect, according to an official order and reported by news agency ANI.
The Director of Health and Family Welfare Services G.Sriramulu stated this in an order on Saturday night and said it woud come into immediate effect. The government has invoked the provisions of the Puducherry Public Health Act 1973 to implement compulsory vaccination.
“Those skipping the vaccination will face penal action as per provisions of the Act”, the Director said. A senior health department official, who did not wish to be named told news agency PTI, that the decision was taken as the government intended to achieve cent per cent coverge of all eligible people and there should be no room for spread of the virus.
The official said there is a provision in the public health act which states that in a pandemic situation, certain aggressive measures are required to be taken.
Earlier the government has intensified steps to cover all eligible people in the vaccination drive against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Saturday said the government would leave no stone unturned to achieve the goal of cent percent coverage in vaccination. She visited a special camp in neighbouring Reddiarpalayam and went door to door to persuade the residents to get themselves vaccinated, a press release said here.
The release said the special camp would be held till Sunday. The Lieutenant Governor appreciated the role of voluntary organisations in holding the campaign against the virus. Secretary to Health Udhayakumar, Director of Health G Sriramulu and other officials of the Department of Health explained to her the implementation of the vaccination programme.
Puducherry clocked 28 fresh cases of coronavirus on Saturday, raising the overall tally of infections to 1,29,056. The new cases identified at the end of examination of 2,514 samples were spread over Puducherry 15, Karaikal 7 and Mahe 6. Yanam an enclave of Puducherry in Andhra Pradesh did not report any fresh case of infection. One more person succumbed to the viral infection raising the overall toll to 1,875
