A recent survey conducted among 16,000 people by a research team of a national media, found that 48 per cent wanted the government to make a Covid test mandatory ahead of vaccination. Only 27 per cent of the respondents were against it. Any step towards compulsory vaccination has to be premised on larger public interest. While a person may feel confident about not requiring vaccination because he or she believes that he or she can fight off the disease, it will not stop the person from infecting others who might be from high-risk category. There are various reasons why many people are still hesitant on taking vaccinations. One is mainly due to wrong perceptions over the long term side effects. Initially, even some medical doctors had freely expressed their reservations about the anti-covid vaccines by advising people to first wait for at least a year or two and see what happens to those who got vaccinated. The other is that many people feel that there should be no compulsion but left solely at their discretion on whether or not to get vaccinated. However, the second wave of the pandemic has scuttled the arguments against vaccinations. Therefore, vaccine hesitancy should end since the crisis requires urgent action in breaking the transmission of covid-19. This can only be achieved when at least 70% to 80% of the country’s population of around 130 crore get vaccinated for herd immunity. Thus, vaccination in relation to infectious diseases is not simply about choosing what is good for one’s own body and can be construed as an obligation for the sake of public health. This notion about freedom to choose on whether or not to get vaccinated is flimsy. The right to not vaccinate should not endanger the lives of others. In such a crisis situation that is like a national health emergency, parliament or the legislatures can always enact any specific law that incorporates such an obligation on the part of the citizen. The National Disaster Management Act of 2005 vests wide powers with the national authority and the national executive committee created under the Act. The range of powers (section 6 and 10) is such that it would be possible for these authorities to mandate compulsory vaccination through appropriate departments in the state governments and the central government. The central government can also enforce such a measure through section 62 of the Act. For example, under the Passport Act of 1967, the government can either refuse the issuance of a passport or revoke an issued passport in relation to any person who refuses to be vaccinated. Even in the present lockdown, almost all states have made it mandatory for people to produce either negative covid test report done within 72 hours while travelling to from one state to the other. A time may come when travellers may have to produce vaccination certificates in order to fly to other destinations. The current pandemic has destroyed economies and brought a halt to daily life while more people are getting infected and dying. The choice is to take responsibility in joining hands with the authorities in fighting this common foe by getting tested or vaccinated as the case warrants. Freedom of choice is not the issue but choosing to be responsible for oneself and by extension, other fellow beings.