KUALA LUMPUR: The Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) has proposed the government to implement the three-pronged strategies of round-the-clock (24-hours) vaccination, walk-in vaccination, and boosting the existing Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme (PIKAS).
Its President Tan Sri T.C Goh said this is in order to ramp up the ongoing national immunisation programme, to enable various states to achieve a two-dose vaccination rate of at least 50%, so that more economic activities could resume.
He said, the government’s announcement on Sunday may not see all the 11 types of economic activities under Phase One of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) re opening; this is due to the fact that more than half of the states in the country have yet to fulfill the prerequisite requirement of “least 50 per cent of the adult population need to be fully vaccinated”, for economic activities to resume.
Goh who is also president of the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) was commenting on the government’s announcement on lifting of restrictions for 11 types of economic activities under Phase One of the NRP.
The 11 businesses are barbers and hair salons for basic haircuts only, car wash shops, electrical shops, shops selling household appliances and kitchen supplies, furniture shops, and sports equipment shops.
Also allowed to resume are car accessories workshops and car sales showrooms, morning and farmers’ markets, clothing and personal accessories stores, and jewellery stores.
Goh however acknowledged that the said announcement was much anticipated by the business sector, the workers and consumers, especially after a prolonged movement control orders (MCOs) and lockdowns.
He further noted that the announcement was in line with Huazong’s recent call urging the government to allow various business activities to resume by complying with standard operating procedures (SOPs).
However, in view of the fact that only a handful of states have had at least 50 per cent of the adult population fully vaccinated, he hopes the government could better coordinate with all the states to ramp up the ongoing national immunization programme. This is so that the entire country could achieve herd immunity ahead of schedule, which is by October this year.
He added that, besides accelerating and boosting the vaccination rate, the government must continue to closely monitor the daily Covid-19 positivity rate, especially in the Klang Valley area.
He underscored that, while the government lifts restrictions on business activities, it must at the same time ensure they strictly comply with SOPs.
On the government lifting of restrictions on non-essential manufacturing sector, Goh hopes such a move could also be applied to other manufacturing sectors, including spare parts, electronic appliances, car accessories, and breweries, so that these could recover, as soon as possible, after having placed under lockdown for a prolonged period of time.
He went on to cite the construction industry for example, which involves a wide range of downstream and spin-off industries, such as the sub contractors, raw material suppliers, renovation contractors and workers, carpenters, transportation operators, car repair workshops, tyre shops, electronic appliances, plastic materials, steel and aluminium workers, technicians etc, which depended on each other to sustain their business.
He continued that, currently, a majority of the manufacturers in the country have mechanized their operations, which allow them to operate in a ‘closed’ environment under a strict SOPs.
He reiterated that, under the present dire situation where a vast majority of the people desperately needed jobs and income to stay afloat, it is no longer necessary or relevant for the government to categorise businesses into essential and non essential sectors.-pr/BNN
