Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on his way to a press conference in Putrajaya, September 1, 2021. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — The government may draft specific policies and guidelines for those who do not want to get vaccinated against Covid-19, Khairy Jamaluddin revealed today.
The ideal situation would be for these vaccine-hesitant individuals to receive their shots, but as some still refuse, Khairy said measures must be taken in the interest of ensuring the safety of others.
This, he said, would be in line with government discussions on categorising Covid-19 as endemic, and no longer a pandemic.
“When things are endemic, whether you are vaccinated or not, you need to get tested regularly.
“So for those who refuse to get the vaccine, we will have a testing schedule perhaps, which will have to be either the rapid or RT-PCR test. But we will come up with a policy to take into account those who refuse the vaccination.
“Of course, the preferred outcome, if they have no medical reasons not to get vaccinated, is to go and get the vaccine,” he said.
Khairy said while the government is still holding out on making Covid-19 jabs a federal requirement, such individuals are testing its resolve.
“I have not yet reached the stage to recommend to the Cabinet a federal mandate for each person to be vaccinated, but I am not far from it,” he said.
Concerning those who refuse the vaccine due to medical reasons, Khairy advised them to obtain a doctor’s letter explaining their situation, saying a feature on MySejahtera would soon be added to cater to such individuals.
One certainty, said Khairy, is the government’s insistence on the public donning face masks when out in public.
He explained how several developed nations who decided to ease mask-wearing regulations later reversed the policy following a spike in new cases as a result of new more easily transmissible variants.
“In Malaysia, we will take the cautious approach and maintain the need to use face masks,” he added.