Visitors to Kodaikanal in Dindigul district should have taken at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, said officials of Kodaikanal Municipality on Sunday.
Tourists, hoteliers and resort operators are happy with opening up of the hill station for public.
However, the officials have planned to keep a tab on the arrivals with a slow rise in the number of COVID-19 positive cases. “Public arriving here should have taken at least one dose of the vaccine,” the official told reporters.
The public cooperation is mandatory to contain the pandemic. The vehicles carrying passengers without the vaccine shots would not be permitted to enter the hill station.
With the educational institutions in Kodaikanal getting ready to commence classes from the next week, the vigil had been intensified. Already some 10 students of a private international school here had tested positive and they were in isolation. So, the cooperation from the public entering the hill station was absolutely essential to face the challenge.
Meanwhile, health department officials said that those arriving from Kerala, Karnataka and other parts of the country were subjected to screening of body temperature and certificates of vaccination were checked.
The hoteliers have been clearly instructed to ensure that health protocols are followed. Shopkeepers, tourist cab operators and restaurants in Kodaikanal were also told that their employees/drivers and waiters should wear masks while on duty.
Collector S. Visakan said on Sunday that vaccine shots were being administered to people above 18 years at the designated PHCs. The district covered over 50,000 people during the first mega campaign held on September 12 and the focus would be to inoculate people in urban pockets in the coming weeks.
He said so far, 9,99,242 people had taken first dose and 2,30,708 had taken the second dose thus taking the total to 12,29,950. In Sunday’s campaign, 23,147 people got the first dose and 6,977 the second dose taking the tally to 30124.
Thoothukudi
A large number of people at the 417 centres across the district and in the city limits got COVID-19 vaccine doses on Sunday. However, in remote locations in rural areas and in some places within the corporation limits, the vaccine stock was insufficient as many, who came after 10.30 a.m., could not get the shots.
While the health department officials said that they had sufficient stocks during the mega campaign held on September 12, with close to 74,000 people getting vaccinated, they were taken aback as large number of public above 18 years turned up at the vaccination centres as early as 9 a.m. on Sunday.
They said that in Thoothukudi health district, 202 centres were set up, 135 in Koilpatti and 80 in the Corporation limits were opened. However, they had very little stock in many centres as more people turned up.
In Tirunelveli district, a similar situation prevailed in many centres. A staff said that they received the regular quantum of doses which, they had exhausted by inoculating beneficiaries by 10 a.m. With the support of NGOs, doses were given to people on the move near Vannarpet flyover and people were happy that Covaxin was available. Only Covishield was in short supply at many PHCs.
Health department officials told reporters that all the PHCs received their regular quota of vaccines and they would place order for more vials on Sundays as the turnout was heavy during weekends.
In Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari districts, the district administration arranged the vaccine shots for travelling public at specially installed check-posts.
The vigil was tightened after Nipah virus cases were reported in Kerala. Only those who had RT-PCR certificates and vaccine certificates were allowed entry, an official at the check-post, said.
Officials in Tenkasi district were confident of stepping up the vaccination drive as people in rural areas voluntarily came forward to get inoculated.
Overall, the four southern districts had a record of over 40 % who had taken the first dose, while Tirunelveli had marginally better vaccination of second dose than the other three districts till Sunday.
