Assembly polls: DMs urged to ensure 100% vaccination of polling personnel

Kolkata: All District Magistrates have been urged to make sure 100 per cent vaccination of all polling personnel before the respective election dates besides ensuring

vaccinations for people with co-morbidity and above 60 years during a video conference with senior state government officers including the state Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay.

Sources said that there are around seven districts including two in North Bengal that have come up in the discussion where slight spike in Covid cases were noticed.

Though the situation is not at all panicky, concerned district authorities were directed to be on guard by ensuring maintenance of physical distancing, use of masks and stress on vaccination. Direction has also been given to stress on awareness

creation.

The state Health Secretary NS Nigam was also present during the video conference.

A stock has also been taken to ensure "minimum assured facilities" at all the polling stations. With the polls taking place in the Covid situation, a set of arrangements maitaining Covid protocols also need to be made at the polling stations for which gloves, sanitiser, PPE kits, face shields, masks, etc needs to be sent to every district for distribution at polling stations.

Sources said that it has been mentioned in the meeting that distribution of the same by the state Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles department has already been completed in the districts where elections are going to be held in the first, second, third and fourth phases.

Direction has also been given with stress on RT-PCR testing and to ensure sufficient number of beds for Covid treatment in hospitals.