Full vaccination no excuse to be lax, KJ reminds Klang Valley folk

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has reminded Klang Valley folk not to let their guard down, as shops and parks throughout the region gradually come back to life.

This came after the region entered Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) on Friday last week.

The minister noted that many have taken advantage of the weekend to bring their families to shopping malls and recreational parks, including young children.

“I understand many are delighted with the relaxed rules especially after nearly three months under Phase 1 of the NRP and a full movement control order before that. However, these activities would surely cause people to gather and reduce compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs).

“It is important for me to remind that full vaccination is no excuse for us to be lax in taking public health measures such as wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing, and frequent handwashing. 

"These are simple measures, but they can protect us from Covid-19 infection,” he said on Facebook today.

Khairy added that while he hopes people would make use of the relaxed rules, they should continue to take precautions against the disease as they do so.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin

He said Covid-19 cases in the Klang Valley is on a downtrend, which bodes well for the success of the NRP.

However, the minister expressed concern that the government’s plan to treat Covid-19 as an endemic disease by October could be jeopardised if SOP compliance is low.

“Reaching this goal requires whole-of-society cooperation to continue following SOPs and practising public health measures.

“If these are not practised and followed, my concern is we will not be able to shift to the endemic phase, thus stymieing the government’s efforts to revive the country.

“I wish to emphasise that the success of bringing this country out of the pandemic does not depend solely on the government’s efforts and strategies. If the society takes the relaxed rules for granted, it is not impossible that the outbreak would return and become worse,” Khairy said. - Mkini