KOCHI: The State Association of Private Security Industry (SAPSI) has asked the government to vaccinate private security guards at the earliest, considering them as a priority category. “Private security personnel interact with the public closely as part of their job, making them vulnerable to infection. We want the state to give priority to security guards to get vaccinated,” said SAPSI general secretary Habeeb Rahman.
There are 150 registered agencies across the state that provide security guards to various industries. “Over 10 lakh private security guards work round-the-clock to ensure safety in society. Most of them belong to the 45-55 age group. They have not been given preference for vaccination yet,” said Habeeb. “Most security guards contracted the disease while on duty,” he added.
In Ernakulam, there are more than one lakh security guards, and over 500 have tested positive for Covid. But fewer than 2,000 have so far been vaccinated. “We had written to the chief minister a month ago to add security personals to the priority list, but it is yet to be addressed,” he said.