Fully vaccinated commuters will be allowed to travel on the local trains from August 15, announced Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday. Thackeray said a digital app has been developed to facilitate applications from fully vaccinated commuters who will be issued photo passes after verifying their vax status. The idea of letting the fully vaccinated commute on trains was first suggested by mid-day in its May 25 edition. However, restaurants, malls and places of worship will have to wait for another week to get a positive decision from the State, he said.

Those who have taken the second dose 14 days before the travel date will be eligible to commute. The app will be available in a couple of days.  Designated municipal offices in the city will issue offline passes for those who don’t have smartphones, said Thackeray. A QR code on the government passes will help the railway booking staff to verify their authenticity. “We will unlock things in a phased manner,” he said, adding that the decision on extending the working hours of restaurants, the opening of malls and places of worship will be taken after considering the State Covid-19 Task Force’s recommendations on Monday. However, he said at least seven to eight days will be needed to make this decision.