Priests and Nuns in Mumbai to be vaccinated at BMC centres

Nuns and sadhus in Mumbai were reportedly facing difficulties in getting vaccinated for the coronavirus as they do not possess an Aadhar card.

An Aadhar card is mandatory for registration in order to receive the vaccine. In view of the situation, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) informed that all nuns and priests aged over 45 are to be vaccinated at the centres operated by the civic body.

Furthermore, Additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani stated that no one will be turned back. Therefore, the priests and nuns who do not have an Aadhar card should provide any certificate that shows their date of birth.

According to reports, BJP’s Bhalchandra Shirsat who had raised the issue said, “The age proof is required as only those above 45 years can be vaccinated. We have come across cases where Jain Munis and sadhus do not have any document for proof of birth. In such cases, we are working with the central religious trust that runs temples so that they can certify that a priest/nun is above the requisite age for vaccination,”

On the other hand, Maharashtra recorded 6,51,513 cases of coronavirus in March this year, which accounts for 88.23 per cent of the total number of cases reported in the previous five-month period, according to official data.

Moreover, between October 1 last year and February 28, 2021, the state recorded 7,38,377 COVID-19 cases. The data shows the increased pace of viral infection in March 2021 compared to previous months. The reason for the spike in COVID-19 cases has time and again been attributed to people not abiding by the rules, not maintaining social distance and not wearing masks while venturing out.