For Transport Workers: Special vaccine drive in capital from today
The government is going to launch a special Covid-19 vaccination drive in the capital today for road transport workers, many of whom are still unvaccinated.
The drive will start from Mohakhali Bus Terminal and then be gradually expanded to Sayedabad, Gabtoli and Phulbaria terminals, officials said.
Civil surgeons across the country have also been directed to arrange similar drives at district level in consultation with local transport associations, they said.
The Cabinet Division in a circular on January 10 directed that only vaccinated transport workers would be allowed to operate vehicles and that all public transport would have to operate at half capacity to curb Covid transmission.
However, the number of vaccinated transport workers is low, say people involved in the sector.
"We are going to start a special drive to bring all transport workers under vaccination," Dr Md Shamsul Haque, member secretary of Covid-19 vaccine management committee of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), told The Daily Star last night.
On January 12, road transport leaders at a meeting with Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) demanded that the government arrange a crash programme to bring all workers under vaccination.
They also demanded that the government allow them to run at full capacity.
On the following day, BRTA sent both proposals to the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry.
On Sunday, the ministry informed the transport associations in writing that they would be allowed to carry passengers at full capacity.
SPECIAL VACCINATION DRIVE
BRTA Chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder said 100 transport workers from Mohakhali Bus Terminal have already been registered.
"The special drive will start tomorrow [today] with them," he told The Daily Star last night.
He said transport associations at three other terminals in the city were also asked to start registration of unvaccinated workers.
"The programme will be carried out at those terminals gradually and continued until all of them get the vaccine," he said.
Shahidullah Sadhu, general secretary of Mohakhali Bus Terminal Workers' Union, said they have 6,500 members.
Besides, there are several thousand workers at the terminals and many of them already received the vaccine, he said.
"We are asking people through loudspeakers to get registered for vaccination. Many of them already got registered," he told The Daily Star last night.
The Dhaka civil surgeon's office had assured that it would be able to supply vaccines for as many transport workers listed for inoculation, BRTA sources said.
Asked about other parts of the country, Dr Shamsul Haque said they have already directed civil surgeons across the country to carry out similar drives at their localities.
There are some 60 to 70 lakh road transport workers across the country, according to Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation.
However, no such move was taken for waterways workers across the country.
Shah Alam, president of Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation, said very few of their 2 lakh workers were vaccinated.
He said they have long been demanding special vaccine drives for their members but to no avail.
After the January 10 decision of the Cabinet Division, they also reiterated their demand but did not get any announcement in this regard, he told The Daily Star last night.
He said they have long been demanding special vaccine drives for their members but to no avail.
After the January 10 decision of the Cabinet Division, they also reiterated their demand but did not get any announcement in this regard, he told The Daily Star last night.
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