‘Onus on bosses to register workers’

PETALING JAYA: Those employing migrant workers will be responsible for getting them registered for vaccination, says Khairy Jamaluddin.

The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister said employers must get their workers registered, regardless of whether they had proper documentation, lapsed documentation or were undocumented.

For the registration of refugees, Khairy said his ministry would be working with the Home Ministry.

“Migrant workers in factories and various industries will be vaccinated in Phase Three and during the economic sector phase, which will probably start in June when we have enough vaccine supplies.

“For refugees who carry the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards, we will work with the United Nations to vaccinate them. This will take place during Phase Three, too,” he told a press conference yesterday.

Asked what the government would do to increase confidence among refugees and migrant workers that there would be no repercussions if they came forward to be vaccinated, Khairy said the authorities had to prove this by their actions.

“I think one key step towards increasing confidence among refugees is the demonstration effect.

“Once we start working with NGOs and UNHCR to vaccinate refugees, they will see that they can come forward to be vaccinated without facing any consequences.

“The word will spread and more of them will be confident to show up for vaccination,” he added.

Khairy, who is also Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, had earlier given migrant workers the assurance that the government would not arrest anyone who came forward to be vaccinated.

He also clarified that spouses, or those with dependents who are both eligible under Phase Two, could call the vaccine registration hotline to have the same appointment slots if they had registered separately.

“There are requests for the same appointment slots for husband and wife. If one person is listed as a dependent on the MySejahtera app of another, they will be given the same appointment.

“But for those who register separately, for instance, through their respective MySejahtera app, there is a possibility they will have different appointment slots.

“If anyone has registered separately from their dependents and they have received different vaccination appointments, they can call the hotline,” he reiterated.

The vaccine registration hotline number is 1800 888 828.