The City of Joy, Kolkata and its residents got their very first drive-in Covid-19 vaccination centre on June 4. This follows an announcement about the centre was made a few days ago.
This drive-in facility is located at the Quest Mall which is situated on Syed Amir Ali Avenue at Beck Bagan in the Park Circus area.
What makes the choice of the mall viable for the drive-in vaccination facility is that it is spread across approximately 700,000 square feet and has parking capacity for about 1,300 vehicles.
Also read: Delhi government inaugurates first drive-through Covid vaccination centre
The centre came into being due to the initiative of the city's civic body Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Those Kolkata residents who are above 45 years and wish to use this facility need to book their slots through the WhatsApp bot of the civic body. The bookings for Friday’s slot began on Thursday, the State e-Governance Mission Team (SeMT) official said.
The bookings can be made by sending a message to WhatsApp number 83359 99000. The SeMT officials clarified that pre-registration on the CoWIN portal is mandatory for booking through WhatsApp.
In a way this drive-in centre is different from the ones in other cities, as it will not allow two- or three-wheelers to enter the premises.
The authorities have made it clear that only four-wheelers, with not more than four occupants will be allowed at the centre. One needs to share the details of the car to get a slot booked at this drive-in vaccination centre. It needs to be noted that no changes in the vehicle details will be allowed after a booking is done.
With the slot once booked, the vehicle needs to enter the premises only 30 minutes before the scheduled time for inoculation. Those who miss the time slot will not be allowed to drive in their vehicles.
Also read: After Gurugram Gautam Buddh Nagar in NOIDA also begins drive-in vaccination drive
The centre allows people to wait inside their vehicles while they get their jabs thus allowing them to avoid waiting in queues and crowding and thereby making it easy to maintain and follow the protocols laid down for Coronavirus.
People are also asked to sit in the comfort of their cars during the mandatory observation period of 30 minutes after vaccination.
These drive-in vaccination centres are becoming quite popular among people to get the jabs for the Covid-19 pandemic.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation was the first civic agency to take this initiative last month. This was followed by several other cities including Delhi, Nagpur, Indore, Panchkula, Gurugram, Noida and Greater Noida among others.
