KUALA LUMPUR – The government is mulling the possibility of issuing a Covid-19 vaccination “passport” which would allow those fully immunised to travel across districts, states and international borders.
Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said this could be implemented if herd immunity is achieved in the coming months, adding that he was optimistic that it could be achieved by the end of the year if the daily vaccinations increased.
“Give it two or three more months and increase the rate of vaccination. Maybe in November or December, we can achieve herd immunity,” he said in The Star.
“This has not been implemented but it is being considered. There must be SOPs (standard operating procedures) for going to mosques and a vaccine passport for travel.”
According to The Star, Dr Noor Hisham said this during a webinar on Islam and current affairs organised by Pertubuhan Intelektual Negara and Persatuan Ulama Malaysia on Saturday evening (June 19).
He added that: “When more people are vaccinated, we will use vaccination as a precondition to travel across states, districts and internationally.”
However, Dr Noor Hisham suggested it was too early to introduce the proposed passport system because the majority of Malaysians have yet to be vaccinated.
“Not even 10% of the population have received both doses. So we must widen (this immunisation) programme as soon as possible,” he said. – The Vibes, June 20, 2021
