KUALA LUMPUR – In light of the reopening of schools in September, Covid-19 vaccination coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin has promised that everyone working in national institutions will be inoculated.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba today, Khairy said the government will give detailed updates on the matter next week.
“We will update that (teachers’ vaccinations) next week. We are close to vaccinating all the teachers but we are still working with the Education Ministry (MoE) to ensure that not just the teachers, but the entire support staff consisting of security guards, janitors, canteen operators etc will be jabbed.
“We really want to make sure that the school environment is safe,” he added.
On July 17, the Education Ministry announced that schools will physically reopen in stages starting September 1.
It said in a statement that the decision was made after taking into consideration the current Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country through discussions with the Health Ministry (MoH) and National Security Council (NSC).
It added that the same ruling applies to all government schools, government-aided schools, private schools and educational institutions registered with the MoE.
“However, MoE will continue to take into account the risk assessment by MoH and NSC to see if there is a need for changes to be made to the date (of school reopening).
“Any changes will be notified in advance. MoE will inform details on the opening schools for in-person teaching and learning classes at least a week before school reopens,” it said. – The Vibes, July 23, 2021