Wong speaks to two road sweepers when distributing food aid to them.
SIBU (July 14): Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) Sibu Task Force committee member Dr Wong Siu Eing said Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) and other relevant authorities should prioritise cleaners, garbage collectors, security guards as well as lawn mowers for the Covid-19 vaccination.
He said many of these people remained unvaccinated, which was a cause for concern as they were also frontliners involved in high-risk jobs.
“It is therefore appropriate that the relevant authorities take the correct approach and immediately set the priority to vaccinate these people,” he added.
Wong said he received feedback when he visited several roadside cleaners who confided to him that they were still waiting for their appointments through the MySejahtera app and were yet to be vaccinated.
“I was distributing food aid to these people along streets and alleys and asked them about their living condition when they told me that they had yet to be vaccinated.
“I therefore urge the relevant authorities or even the contractors of these workers to immediately prioritise the safety of these workers and send them for vaccination soonest.”
He said the jobs of these cleaners and garbage collectors may look small when compared to the medical frontliners but they too play an important role in keeping the environment clean and healthy.
“They should be considered the frontliners of a different kind and they certainly deserve to be given the recognition and priority to be vaccinated early.”
He said the scope of their jobs involved collecting rubbish, road sweeping and they had been working since day one of the Covid-19 pandemic, exposing them to the threat of the virus.
“These people have to sweep the roads and alleys daily, collecting garbage and especially the face masks discarded around by irresponsible persons.
“Their jobs are also considered as high-risk and surely, they should not be overlooked when the relevant authorities carry out the vaccination drive.”
Commenting further, Wong said according to figures from state Health Department about 64.4 per cent of Sibu’s population had completed their first dose as at Sunday.
He described that as welcoming news as the faster the people got inoculated, the earlier Sibu could achieve herd immunity.
He was also glad to note that the vaccination rate was picking up with the opening of more vaccination centres (PPVs) such as the private hospitals, Sibu Hospital, Sibu Indoor Stadium, Sibu Civic Centre, the mobile teams and many other places that help vaccinate an average of 6,000 people daily.
“Many foreign students and employees in the key economic sectors have received their vaccination and there is no reason why these cleaners, garbage collectors, security guards and lawn mowers should be neglected.”