Ranchi district health department is keen on conducting special Covid vaccination camps in crowded places, especially malls, during the coming Durga Puja and Dussehra festivities.

The department has sent a proposal to the Ranchi deputy commissioner for sanctioning additional manpower to kick off the drive. Civil surgeon Vinod Kumar on Friday said that the department was awaiting a formal in the next couple of days.

“Besides the existing vaccination camps that are held in the capital on a daily basis, we have planned to set up mobile as well as static camps outside big malls, commercial establishments and the like to inoculate a floating crowd. This is one of the ways we are using to curb a spike in Covid-19 cases," he said.

He said the department had asked for about 450 additional manpower to be hired on contract for the next three months. “We currently have about 150 people for collection of Covid-19 samples and about 100 for vaccination in the district. Once we get the required manpower, we will be able to speed up the vax coverage ,” he said.

Currently, on an average, Ranchi is administering about 10,000-12,000 jabs daily. Kumar said the the department is targeting to increase it four-fold during the main days of the Puja.

Even though the state government has imposed lots of curbs to keep Durga Puja festivities a low-key affair, there's a huge rush of shoppers already.

Puja organizers are also working out measures to maintain Covid appropriate behavior at their premises.

Ashok Purohit, president of the Ranchi Zila Durga Puja Samiti, said all puja organizers will continue to follow the state government prescribed SOPs. “In pandals, only those who are vaccinated at least with one dose will be allowed entry to work during the pujas. At Rajasthan Mitra Mandal pandal, of which I am also the president, we have decided to sanitise the area daily through ozone powered fumigation,” he said.

Ranchi Mahangar Yuva Dasta, a voluntary outfit that manages crowds, announced on Friday it would organise free distribution of masks and sanitisers outside every big pandal.