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PEOPLE who have been fully vaccinated can expect to be given greater ‘freedom’ after Hari Raya Aidiladha, says the deputy prime minister.
THOSE who have been fully-vaccinated against Covid-19 can expect some good news on the easing of restrictions after Hari Raya Aidiladha.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the technical working committee under the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee (JKJAV) was looking into providing some flexibility for the public who had received both doses of the vaccine.
He said the results of the study by the JKJAV would be discussed by the National Recovery Council soon before a final decision is made. The council was recently formed to oversee the implementation of the National Recovery Plan (NRP).
“As announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, we will provide some flexibility for people who have received both doses of the vaccine.
“At the moment, the technical committee is looking into the details, such as who will this new flexibility apply to, how far they get to travel or which type of businesses will be allowed (to operate).
“God willing, this will be announced after Hari Raya Aidiladha,” he said at the Defence Ministry here after launching the Mindef Prihatin programme yesterday.
Mindef Prihatin is a programme championed by subsidiaries of the ministry to provide assistance and food to those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, including army personnel and veterans.
Muhyiddin recently announced that the government was studying the possibility of relaxing some restrictions as benefits or incentives for those who had completed two doses of the vaccination.
Muhyiddin said the relaxation could include permission to go shopping or cross districts despite the Movement Control Order. This would be in line with the reopening of more economic sectors when states transitioned to Phase 2 of the NRP, especially in the Klang Valley.
Ismail Sabri was also asked on the spike in the number of daily Covid-19 cases in factories and companies, which were caught flouting the standard operating procedures (SOP).
He admitted that the current RM50,000 fine had not been an effective deterrent.
“Now that we are under a state of Emergency, the government is able to amend the fine under the Emergency Ordinance from RM1,000 to RM50,000 for companies. However, this will only last until Aug 1, when the Emergency ends.
“When we go back to Act 342 (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988), the fine will be RM1,000, so obviously these companies will not be afraid and will continue to disobey the SOP.
“What is RM1,000 to these companies when they can make tens of thousands of ringgit in profit a day?
“There’s no word yet on (increasing the fine), but I have been hearing from many people that it looks like the RM50,000 is not enough to stop these companies from breaking the SOP,” he said.
The New Straits Times reported the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) urging the government to impose harsher penalties on employers who breached the Covid-19 SOP.
MEF president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said while some employers adhered to the SOP, there were also those who disregarded the safety of their employees, giving a bad image to other employers nationwide.