Empathise, Approach, and Support:Your Responsibility Towards Blue-Collar Workforce in Times of COVID

While India faces the second wave of COVID-19 with an intensified impact on several sections of the population, the subsequent lockdowns imposed in different parts of the country have led to a significant loss of blue-collared jobs, gig and temporary services especially in sectors of aviation, construction, hospitality and retail. Thousands of migrant workers, daily wage labourers travelled back to their individual cities after the imposition of lockdown in the country’s capital, mid-April. However, necessary services such as healthcare, transportation and manufacturing required blue-collar workers more so than ever. They continue to provide support to the larger public in terms of providing meals to those infected with the virus; facilitate sanitization practices in public spaces, produce necessary equipment and transport them to healthcare facilities through increased ambulance and delivery services, work in crematoriums, burial grounds, and many more. These jobs which require the workers to labor in groups, travel in crowded transports etc. puts them and their families at a further risk of contracting the virus. The immense risk posed upon one’s health reveals the lack of adequate infrastructure that would facilitate the necessary social distancing practices, and other precautionary measures while engaged in those services.

An ever-increasing dependency of the workers on their jobs to provide for their families and sustain their livelihoods in these distressing times, contribute towards their anxieties associated with impositions of lockdowns that often compel them to leave their jobs. The need-based approach towards employment of blue-collared workers grants them negligible job security and leads to enormous impacts on their livelihoods in times of such crisis. Moreover, the spread of misinformation, higher dependency on technology to procure vaccination slots and shortage of vaccines in the country adds to the existing anxiety among these workers while they return to their jobs. With current plans of unlocking major cities in India, one could, again, expect a rise in call for blue-collared workers across healthcare facilities, manufacturing units, delivery services, construction sites, universities, residences and almost every other place one could think of. While this plan would mean a return to jobs for the blue-collared workers in full-swing, it places a crucial responsibility on you and me - one who has adequate access to the internet, smartphones, and information to facilitate vaccination services for them. It is, at the same time, important to assist them in operating those technological tools themselves, by providing them the time and tools to learn, once agreed upon by them. Maintaining a balance between their workplace productivity and ensuring availability of sufficient time for digital grounding could be difficult but remains necessary while the country prepares to unlock.

It is paramount, for you and me, to be patient with questions that arise and provide answers about available vaccination services in the most informative and accessible way possible. The FAQs here serve as a guide to clear the air of concerns that would appear in one’s mind while registering for vaccine slots on the CoWIN platform or Aarogya Setu app.

Frequently Asked Questions -

Q. Are people getting infected with COVID-19 virus even after getting their first dose of the vaccine?

1. Yes, there are chances of people getting infected with the COVID-19 virus even after taking the first dose of the vaccine. The first dose of the vaccine does not provide one with complete immunity against the COVID-19 virus. Only once you have taken the second dose, the immune response to the virus gets heightened and prevents you from getting severely affected from the coronavirus infection.

Q. Can one contract the COVID-19 virus even after taking the second dose of the vaccine?

1. Yes, there are chances of people getting infected with the COVID-19 virus even after taking the second dose of the vaccine. However, the severity of the infection on one’s body would be lesser as compared to that without the vaccine and one will recover sooner from the infection.

Q. Are we required to wear masks even after successfully getting both doses of the vaccine?

1. Yes, it is necessary for one to abide by all the recommended precautions even after getting completely vaccinated. One must wash their hands properly, wear masks such that they cover both mouth and nose, as well as follow social distancing measures. It is because there are chances of getting infected with the COVID-19 virus even after getting fully vaccinated.

Q. Do we need to register separately for both the doses of the vaccine?

1. No. One can register for both doses of the vaccine at once. If you have registered once for the vaccine on the registration portal, you do not need to register again for it after getting the first dose. But, it is necessary to book another slot/date on the portal for visiting the vaccination centre and getting the second dose of the vaccine.

Q. Can one get vaccinated with any vaccine at any point of time?

1. No. It completely depends on your designated vaccination centre if you would be availed with Covishield or Covaxin. Along with this, it is necessary to take the second dose of the same vaccine that was administered upon you as the first dose. There needs to be a difference of nearly 12-16 weeks between the two doses of Covishield, and 4-6 weeks between the two doses of Covaxin.

Q. What is the cost of each dose of the vaccines?

1. The vaccines are being administered for free in government vaccination centres, whereas each dose of the vaccine costs INR 250 in private hospitals and centres.

One cannot certainly ignore the health and livelihoods of the massive workforce (around 450-million blue-collar workers) that form the foundations of India’s development, with demand for their support on a steady rise. The inherent engagement of such a huge section of our population with one’s everyday lives necessitates a crucial form of activism - duty as an ‘active’ citizen, to share one’s knowledge and provide suitable infrastructure that grants them dignity as well as considers their health concerns with remarkable seriousness. It is time to start small, and aim large; it is time to observe and empathise. Begin by approaching your househelps, security officers, delivery personnel and other blue-collar workers within your reach; enquire if they have received their vaccination doses, inform them about vaccination drives and nearby centres; communicate the precautionary measures, post-vaccination effects, and get them registered if consented to. It is essential to extend the same considerate attitude towards their health as one would towards any of their own family members. Empathise, Approach, and Support.