Association of shop owners seeks to vaccinate 15 lakh 

To recover from losses incurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association wants to vaccinate around 15 lakh people as soon as possible.

Starting 12 February, the association launched a special programme in collaboration with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, to inoculate shop owners, employees, and staff in Dhaka, dividing the capital into 10 regions.

Now, they plan to take the campaign across the country.

"We have prepared an awareness song, 'Tika Nin, Tika Nin' (be vaccinated, be vaccinated) to be released on Tuesday, which we want to spread countrywide with the help of committees of shop owners' associations," Helal Uddin, president of the committee said.

However, he told TBS they managed to inoculate only 32,000 staff in the first nine days of the campaign.

Expanded Programme on Immunisation Director, Dr Shamsul Haque, told journalists there is an adequate stock of vaccines and work is underway to vaccinate all eligible individuals soon.

One hundred vaccinators and 200 volunteers from the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society are working on the month-long programme in collaboration with the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association.

Rezwan Naveen, operations in charge of the Covid-19 activities of the Red Crescent Society, said they plan to vaccinate more than 50,000 business owners and staff in Dhaka city.

Bangladesh Shop Owners Association President, Helal Uddin, also said initiatives have been taken to provide all shop owners, workers, employees, and cleaners the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by 26 February.

Marking the campaign, the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association is organising a special function in front of Polwel Super Market in the capital's Paltan on Tuesday, where Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed will join as chief guest.