Unvaccinated children can now attend school in Chandigarh

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Chandigarh, May 3

The UT Administration today put in abeyance the decision of restricting unvaccinated students in the age group of 12 to 18 from attending classes in the physical mode.

The decision has come in the light of the Supreme Court judgment yesterday wherein the top court ruled that no individual could be forced to get vaccinated.

In order to protect unvaccinated children from exposure to Covid, the Administration had earlier decided to restrict unvaccinated students in the age group of 12 to 18 from attending classes in the physical mode from May 4.

This led to a sudden increase in the vaccination rate of children in this category and around 14,000 children took their first jab in haste in the city in the past 10 days. The Corbevax vaccination of children in the age group of 12 to 14 with the first dose now stands at 60 per cent, while it was only 38 per cent before the orders. Around 98 per cent children, aged 15 to 18, have been vaccinated with the first dose of Covaxin.

Earlier, private schools had decided not to provide any alternative medium of study for such children and had stated that they would be marked absent if they cannot attend classes without vaccination. The UT Administration had said such children should be allowed to come to school to appear for exams and practicals.

Reviewing the status of the positivity rate of the Covid infection and vaccination, Dharam Pal, Adviser to the UT Administrator, said the Health Department, in co-ordination with the Education Department, would continue with the efforts to complete 100 per cent vaccination with the first dose for all children in the age group of 12 to 18 by May 15. The daily positive cases are ranging between 10 and 12 and the weekly positivity rate is less than 1 per cent in the city.

He said though the Covid vaccination was optional, yet it was the duty of the Administration to educate and inform citizens about its benefits.

What Admn had decided earlier

In order to protect unvaccinated children from exposure to Covid, the Administration had earlier decided to restrict unvaccinated students in the age group of 12 to 18 from attending classes in the physical mode from May 4.

14,000 children take jab in 10 days

The orders barring unvaccinated children from attending physical classes led to an increase in the vaccination numbers as 14,000 children took their first jab of the Covid-19 vaccine in the past 10 days.

Free booster dose inPanchkula from today

Panchkula: The booster dose for persons aged between 18 and 59 will be offered from Wednesday at government facilities as well. A Health Department spokesman said the vaccine would be given free of cost to those who had completed nine months from the second dose. The booster dose would be provided at all public health centres and community health centres. TNS