Inter-District Travel Permission Is Not Required For Vaccination Appointments

Senior Minister for Security Cluster, Ismail Sabri Yaakob earlier today announced that the government will impose the Movement Control Order (MCO) in six Selangor districts. The directive will be enforced from 6 to 17 May 2021 in the affected districts comprising of Hulu Langat, Petaling, Gombak, Klang, Kuala Langat, and Sepang.

As part of the implementation, interstate and inter-district movements are prohibited within these districts. Hence, members of the public who reside in the affected districts expressed their concern on whether they would be able to obtain their AstraZeneca vaccine if the Vaccine Administration Centre (PPV) is located outside of their own district.

The Co-Chairman of the Special Committee on COVID-19 Vaccine Supple (JKJAV), Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has swiftly addressed the issue by obtaining confirmation from Minister Ismail that those who are affected by the upcoming MCO implementation in Selangor are not required to obtain inter-district travel permission from the police to receive their vaccine.

All they need to do is to show proof of their vaccination appointment either on MySejahtera, JKJAV’s website, or SMS. Involving more than 250,000 individuals, the AstraZeneca vaccine distribution for Selangor and Kuala Lumpur will kick off from tomorrow onwards until early June 2021, while the government is already looking into expanding the vaccine’s reach to other parts of the country soon.

Survey: 70 Percent Of Malaysian Employers Would Make COVID-19 Vaccination Compulsory

A survey of over 1,000 Malaysian employers and employees found that 70% of the former would make COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for all their staff. In contrast, only 33% of employers in Australia, 33% in the United Kingdom, and 35% in New Zealand would require their staff to vaccinate.

Malaysian employees appear too happy to oblige. The survey by Employment Hero found that 76% of them agreed to take the vaccine and only 7% said they would refuse.

Still, most of those surveyed are unsure when they’ll be able to work from their offices again. Only 29% of Malaysian employees and 31% of Malaysian employers are expecting to return to the office in the next six months.

Because of that, some employers are considering adjustments to their operations. 32% of Malaysian employers foresee that their teams would continue working remotely or flexibly, and just as many said they would allow more geographic and work hour flexibility.

Unsurprisingly, as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, stress levels among Malaysian employees (61%) and employers (58%) have increased, but many employees (47%) aren’t comfortable discussing their mental health with their superiors.

“The mental-health fallout of COVID-19 in the workforce needs more attention. The workplace is an important environment to discuss mental health, but because of the stigma attached to it and the fear of job losses, many people are continuing to suffer in silence,” said Employment Hero CEO and co-founder Ben Thompson.

The survey was conducted in March 2021, aiming to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected employers and employees across the world.

You Can Now Check Your Vaccination Appointment Status Directly On JKJAV’s Website

As previously announced by the authorities, Phase 2 of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (NCIP) will kick off tomorrow, 19 April 2021. With the aim to immunise 9.4 million people, this particular phase is focusing on senior citizens, people with disabilities, and those that have chronic diseases.

Since earlier this month, the national contact tracing app, MySejahtera has begun notifying users of the details for their vaccination appointment which include the date, time, and location of the Vaccine Administration Centre (VAC). In case you have forgotten your appointment date, you can always return to the app to check them out.

Alternatively, you could use this online tool that the Special Committee On COVID-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV’s) has recently implemented on its website. All you need to do is just input your MyKad or passport ID as well as phone number and once you solve the captcha, you are then able to check out the details of your vaccination session:

As pointed out earlier, you don’t have much to be worried about if you are using MySejahtera as information in the status check should ultimately match what has been stated inside the app. What’s more important is that you get yourself registered for the vaccine and keep a look out for MySejahtera’s notification or SMS in which you then have 48 hours to accept your vaccination session:

If you are not a MySejahtera user, you can also register for the vaccine manually via JKJAV’s official website or call the NCIP’s hotline at 1800-888-828. The NCIP has been scheduled to take place until February 2022 but nevertheless, we do recommend registering yourself for the vaccine as soon as possible.

Tony Fernandes Says AirAsia Ready To Help With Vaccination Efforts

AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes said the company is looking forward to playing an “active role” in vaccination efforts. He also expressed optimism for the airline industry’s recovery after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today became the first person in the country to be vaccinated.

Fernandes said AirAsia’s logistics arm, Teleport, was ready to assist in any way, including by transporting vaccines from China and Russia when they’re available, and distributing them in countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and India.

He also offered the services of AirAsia pilots and cabin crew for the vaccination campaign, noting their first aid training and the fact that they haven’t been able to fly as much as before. “They can surely provide valuable help to the frontliners and this is what being unconventional is about,” he said.

Fernandes urged the public to embrace vaccination so that recovery is made possible for the tourism industry. He said the campaign provided the clearest, most tangible indication of when the pandemic will be brought under control and normalcy will return.

Eager to have AirAsia in the skies again, he foresees “an international air travel reset in the very near future” – thanks to global vaccination efforts, better education and testing, digital health passports, and other factors.

The AirAsia boss said that he intends to get vaccinated himself, and asked the public to trust scientists and experts, while rejecting misinformation about the vaccines.