KOTA KINABALU – In an effort to get transport workers vaccinated against Covid-19, Sabah’s Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) has started a registration drive for 44,925 drivers in its database.
There are 4,693 bus drivers, 29,626 lorry drivers, 5,184 taxi drivers and 5,422 e-hailing drivers, said state CVLB chairman Datuk Chin Kim Hiung.
“The Sabah CVLB is now in the process of collecting data to assist drivers to get their vaccines via the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme,” he said, urging them to do so before July 10.
He said the data will be sent to the Transport Ministry and later forwarded to the relevant ministries doing the registration, subsequently vaccination.
The move came following Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong’s announcement that those in the transportation sector can get their vaccines starting this week.
Wee said his ministry has identified 107,000 people as frontliners in the sector including sailors, pilots, air traffic controllers, flight attendants, warehouse workers, maritime pilots, and Prasarana staff members in the rail and bus line.
On Monday, a meeting was held between officials from CVLB and National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin over the registration drive.
Chin said inoculation for those in the transportation sector would restore logistic service.
For instance, the transportation of goods across borders like Brunei have been affected as many Sabah drivers have not been vaccinated, he added.
Sabah aims to hit 30,000 vaccinations a day by July, which include plans to start inoculating industry workers, including those in the transportation and logistics, under the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme. – The Vibes, June 24, 2021
