Tower body seeks frontline worker status for field engineers for vaccination on priority

Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA), the apex representative body of Telecom Infrastructure Providers Category – I (IP-1), has urged the National Health Authority (NHA) to include telecom infrastructure personnel under ‘frontline worker’ status for administering the COVID-19 vaccine on priority.

This comes amid the second nationwide wave of COVID-19 pandemic, which is relatively severe than the first wave of infection and has prompted states to impose strict curbs, including partial and full lockdowns to control the spread.

“The frontline workers in the telecom infrastructure industry, consisting of direct and indirect employees have ensured continuity of routine activities – power, diesel filling and attended to routine maintenance/ emergency faults – risking their own lives. They have been working in the toughest of times across all types of zones including the COVID-19 hotspots and therefore need to be considered for vaccination on priority,” said T.R. Dua, Director-General, Tower & Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) in a letter to R.S. Sharma, CEO, National Health Authority.

Currently, persons aged 45 years and above can avail of vaccination.

The apex industry body which represents companies like Indus Towers, ATC, Sterlite Technologies, among others, highlighted telecom infrastructure providers are maintaining services on a regular basis despite the serious risks posed to them and their families. “… It is essential that they are given priority irrespective of their age group, for administering the COVID-19 prevention vaccine in all the states.”

“The telecom infrastructure provider industry has huge manpower consisting of frontline workers (technicians and field engineers) who have been working tirelessly during lockdowns to maintain the 24×7 telecom services to enable uninterrupted Work-From-Home, online education, e-health, and various Governmental services to the citizens across the country,” Dua said, highlighting the role of telecom infrastructure workers.