COVID-19: Chhattisgarh to vaccinate journalists, lawyers and their families on priority

Amid surge in COVID-19 infections across the country, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has announced to vaccinate journalists and lawyers of the state and their families on priority as front-line workers.

"The decision has been made to vaccinate people belonging to different categories as frontline workers. Along with this, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has announced to vaccinate journalists and lawyers of the state and their families in the same way as front line workers," said an official statement.

In many other states, journalists and lawyers are being vaccinated as front-line workers, but Baghel, going one step further, has announced to give priority to journalists and lawyers of the state as well as their families as frontline workers.

As per the earlier instructions issued by Baghel and on the recommendation of the committee of secretaries headed by the Chief Secretary regarding vaccination, the categories included by the state government in the list of front line workers include people with comorbidities as defined by the Department of Health, food providers and vegetable sellers, bus drivers and conductors, Anganwadi workers, Mitanins, Panchayat secretaries/workers, vendors, women living in institutional care, state government employees, state public sector undertaking employees and their immediate family members.

Similarly, people working in old age homes, people working in women care centers and child care, people working in crematoriums and cemeteries, persons with disabilities, semi government institutions providing essential services are also included in the list.

According to the state government, detailed guidelines regarding identification of frontline workers will be issued by the Health Department. "If a person in the frontline worker category brings a ration card other than APL, then he or she will also be considered in the category of that ration card and if he does not bring the ration card then he or she will be considered in the category of frontline worker," it said

Moreover, inmates who are in jail will also be given the same priority in vaccination as will be given to the frontline workers because they cannot protect themselves, it said.