Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced on Friday that state government employees failing to take even the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine for any reason other than medical will be compulsorily sent on leave after September 15.

This strong measure, an official statement said, was announced by Singh to protect the people of the state from the disease, and to ensure that those who are vaccinated do not have to pay the price for continued vaccine hesitancy of those who are not.