PUTRAJAYA – Have a little patience, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told single individuals looking to return to their hometown to meet their parents, saying such plans are already in the pipeline.
He said the ministry is monitoring key indicators related to the public healthcare system’s capacity.
He gave an assurance that there will be an announcement once there is an improvement, and that recommendations will be made to the National Security Council (NSC) when the situation permits.
“We are constantly monitoring and conducting risk assessments. I have discussed the matter with the health director-general (Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah), and we feel that when the time is right, we will recommend it to NSC,” he told a press conference here today.
“For now, I hope the public can be a little more patient, until the indicators that I mentioned improve.
“If the healthcare capacity gets better, we will recommend it. It is in the pipeline, we will get there. Be patient.”
He was asked when the public can expect an announcement on interstate travel for singles, who have been forced to live apart from their parents for months due to the ban on crossing state lines.
Calls for interstate travel to be allowed intensified after a 28-year-old man was found dead in Johor due to a cut on his wrist after he smashed a window at a mosque out of frustration that he had been unable to meet his parents for six months.
Khairy added that the government is looking to declare particular areas as being “almost fully vaccinated” once it is ascertained that nearly all residents in the said areas have been immunised, regardless of the vaccination rate.
He said the jab rate in Bentong, Pahang, is just slightly more than 80% despite the district health office confirming that almost all individuals there are vaccinated.
The minister said this is likely due to people with addresses in the district having moved out or received the jab elsewhere.
“We will open the walk-in facility for a number of days, and visit houses to see if anyone is left out. After a while, if people are not showing up, we will assume that the area is considered fully vaccinated,” said Khairy.
“Of course, there will be people like anti-vaxxers coming forward later after they find out that they can’t do certain activities. They can still get vaccinated at health offices.” – The Vibes, September 9, 2021
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