The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has now decided to set up Covid testing and vaccination camps in school and college campuses across the city. The move comes as schools and colleges across Maharashtra have reopened and the civic body is not taking any chances in the event of a student testing positive. Civic officials have said they will set up vaccination and Covid camps only on receiving approval from the respective school and college administrations. Thus far, no corona case has been reported from schools since they have reopened.
According to the data provided by the civic health department, 780 children have tested Covid-positive in the first 15 days of October, of whom 202 children are below nine years of age and 578 are in the 10 to 19 age group.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said that currently they were ready with plans for these camps without causing inconvenience to the administration. There are no cases of Covid reported from the schools so far which is a good sign, but they have asked the school or college administration to adhere to the SOPs given to them and these should be followed by students.
“We have made preparations to test children in schools. If even a single case of corona is suspected among children in the daily screening at schools, then we will begin testing the rest. The school or college administration too will need to inform the BMC health department at the ward-level about the children suspected with corona-like symptoms,” he said.
Civic health department officials said colleges had started now and if colleges need to organise vaccination camps on their campuses, they have to inform the BMC. “BMC will vaccinate students above the age of 18 years by going to the concerned college. If the college administration applies to the BMC for the vaccination of the students, then a ‘Vaccination on Wheels’ camp can be organised. All the assistant commissioners of wards have also been informed about this,” he said.
