PETALING JAYA | Individuals who have been fully vaccinated should be allowed back to work physically, without the need for a cap on those allowed on every premises, say several retail and business groups.
They called for the re-opening of all economic sectors with immediate effect without any need to obtain further approvals from the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) or other authorities.
“There should be no distinction on whether any sector is essential or not because the very fact that a particular sector exists shows it is already playing an essential role in the supply chain,” they said in a joint letter to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin yesterday.
The signatories were the Malaysian Shopping Malls Association, Malaysia Retailers Association, Malaysia Retail Chain Association, Bumiputra Retailers Organisation, Malaysia REIT Managers Association, Malaysian Association of Theme Park and Family Attractions, and the Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors.
The groups said they fully supported and applauded a statement by Khairy who described Covid-19 as endemic, calling it a “realistic stance”.
They said it was heartening that the country’s overall vaccination rate was now at 68% of the adult population with 95.7% achieved in the Klang Valley, and welcomed the privileges accorded to those fully vaccinated.
“The ability of employers to revive their businesses back to normal and pay salaries will, in turn, encourage spending in the domestic economy and create the much-needed multiplier effect for the overall rapid revival of the national economy.
“Besides saving livelihoods, this will definitely allow businesses to re-start more quickly and contribute positively to the recovery of our economy,” they said.
The group also hoped the authorities would consider allowing public sector employees who were fully vaccinated to return to work so that government processes will be up to date and not add to the backlog.
They also commended the recent upgrade of the MySejahtera app which now indicates accurate and full information on an individual’s health levels including vaccination status.
