Covid jabs to be made mandatory for all retail workers

The domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry is in the final phase of making vaccination for all employees in the retail sector one of the pre-conditions for approval for companies to resume operations during the National Recovery Plan (NRP) period.

Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said this was especially for economic activities that involve face-to-face contact and interaction.

“Retail, distribution and services are among the important economic sectors for the development of the country.

“They are also sectors which have been adversely affected by the implementation of the movement control order where almost the entire retail sector is not allowed to operate except those in essential services.

“Therefore, the ministry hopes that the vaccination of workers in the retail sector can be expedited to enable businesses to reopen and operate fully earlier under the NRP,” he said in a statement today.

He said the ministry was also looking into expanding the industrial vaccination centres (PPVINs) for the retail industry vaccination programme (RiVAC) outside the Klang Valley, especially in Johor and Penang, in the near future.

“Additional PPVINs will accelerate the achievement of the Operation Surge Capacity objective which targets 100% of the Klang Valley population receiving at least a first dose of vaccine by Aug 1.”

He said there were currently five RiVAC PPVINs in the Klang Valley which began operations this week and one RiVAC PPVIN in Melaka which would start operating in early August.

He said so far, a total of 226,353 employees in the retail and distribution industry nationwide had registered through 4,033 companies with RiVAC.

“As of yesterday, a total of 2,348 people had received a first dose of vaccine at the RiVAC PPVIN at Mid Valley Exhibition Centre, 1,206 people at the RiVAC PPVIN at IOI City Mall and 779 people at the RiVAC PPVIN Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre, in Bandar Utama,” he said.

Registration can be made through the ministry’s portal at rov.kpdnhep.gov.my/rov, where further information is also available.

Interested parties can also contact the Trade Distribution and Services Industry Secretariat at 03-8882 5881/ 5905 or through email to [email protected].