Covid-19 vaccination drive kicks off at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant

Science and Technology Affairs Minister Yeafesh Osman today inaugurated the Covid-19 vaccination programme for project officials and employees of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) in Pabna.

All foreign workers and Bangladeshi project officials will be vaccinated, said the minister.

Foreign workers who have recently arrived will not be allowed to work in the project unless they are vaccinated, he added. Bangladeshi project officials will receive the Russian vaccine Sputnik V in addition to Russian workers.

A high-ranking Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) official recently paid a visit to the RNPP with a gift of Russian vaccine Sputnik V for over 700 project officials, the minister said.

The foreign nationals are employees of ROSATOM which is carrying out the project work in Pabna. 

Dr Shawkat Akber, project director of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, told The Daily Star that despite the pandemic, the workers are working as usual to complete the project on time.

Every day, over 30,000 workers, including over 25,000 local workers, work in the project, and the project authority adheres to strict health guidelines to ensure the safety of such a large number of workers, the project director said.

"We regularly monitor the health of every worker twice a day, and if anyone becomes infected or shows any symptoms, he and his immediate surroundings are taken to an observation center. If necessary, they are taken to an isolation center or given medical assistance," he added.