Chennai’s Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has ordered its employees aged above 45 years to compulsorily get vaccinated againstCOVID-19. The order comes days after the Southern Railway and the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) told their staff to get vaccinated or go on leave. According to a report in The Hindu, the MTC issued a circular on Monday, which said that all employees must get vaccinated unless a doctor advises against it due to specific medical reasons. The MTC’s General Manager, in the circular, said that if the employees don’t get vaccinated and contract COVID-19, they will not be eligible for special medical leave. He further added that since the transport department works directly with the public, it comes under the service sector.
Directing the senior officers, supervisors etc to sensitise and educate the employees aged 45 and above to get vaccinated, the General Manager also urged everybody to wear masks and ensure adequate physical distancing.
Meanwhile, the night curfew in Tamil Nadu came into force on Tuesday 10 pm across the state. As per the state government orders, no public transport will function post 10 pm till 4 am the next day due to the curfew. Transport outside the state and between districts will not be allowed to function during this time as well. Similarly, all tourist places have been shut and full lockdowns will be implemented on all Sundays till April 30.
On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu reported 10,986 new cases of COVID-19, of which 3,711 were from Chennai. The number of persons affected by the coronavirus and are under various forms of treatment in Tamil Nadu stood at 79,804 as of Tuesday, while 48 people died on Tuesday due to the virus. Districts like Chengalpattu, Coimbatore, Thiruvallur, Erode, Kancheepuram, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Salem, Tirunelveli, Tiruppur, Trichy and Vellore also reported over 200 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, as per the daily medical bulletin.