Bhubaneswar: With a view to reducing rush at vaccination centres across the City here, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Friday launched the first drive-in vaccination programme at Esplanade Mall here for people eligible for the second dose.
Emulating the Mumbai model, the drive-in vaccination facility has been made available for the 45-plus age group. The vaccination will be carried out at the exit point of the mall’s parking lot. Booking of the slots for the drive-in vaccination programme began at 5pm Friday. While 400 slots have been made available for May 8, around 500 slots would be available from May 10 to 15 on a daily basis, sources said.
“Eligible citizens will have to drive into the parking lot of Esplanade Mall as per the slots booked by them. They are advised to wait inside the vehicles till their turn. The citizens should not come out of their vehicles immediately after reaching the facility. The vaccination will be carried out at the exit point. After the inoculation, one can drive out and wait outside the parking lot for 30 minutes for observation,” said BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary.
He also said that no vehicle will be allowed inside the parking lot for vaccination without slot booking. The beneficiaries are also requested to bring their Aadhaar cards and verification slips of the first dose, he added.
The civic body also stated that only two people would be allowed into the vaccination facility in case of four-wheelers while one would be allowed for two-wheelers.
“Pillion riding is strictly prohibited as it compromises the social distancing norms. Those choosing to come by car are instructed to come with their drivers or anyone who would ferry them from home to centre and vice versa. This vaccination centre has been launched on a pilot basis and we are planning to open similar centres after analysing the efficacy of the Esplanade drive-in programme,” Chaudhary added. The vaccine would be provided for free.