Don’t take children to Ramadan bazaars, parents urged

Parents are advised not to bring their children to Ramadan bazaars to protect them from being exposed to Covid-19 infection, Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali says.

Noor Azmi said although the country had entered the transition to endemic phase, it was not advisable for children, especially those who were unvaccinated, to go to crowded places.

“On the first day of Ramadan, we could see that many people visiting Ramadan bazaars in Bagai Serai brought along their children, especially the young ones.

“It is advisable not to bring children to such places as we do not want to observe Ramadan in a sombre mood or at hospitals,” he told reporters after distributing dates at the Bagan Serai Ramadan bazaar yesterday.

He said according to the latest data, only 38% of children in the country had been vaccinated against Covid-19 while for adolescents, 91.7% had completed their vaccination.

“This shows that the vaccination rate among children is still low, and we hope parents will bring their children to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” he said.

In a separate development, Noor Azmi said the decision to shorten the quarantine period for healthcare workers infected with Covid-19 was based on scientific data as well as advice by experts to overcome the shortage of manpower at hospitals.

“The quarantine period is shortened to prevent disruption of hospital operations.

“Those (healthcare workers) who have been fully vaccinated and who have received a booster dose and are asymptomatic will undergo assessment to ensure that they are safe to return to work,” he said.

The Malaysian Health Coalition had recently urged the health ministry to review its decision to shorten the quarantine period for health workers.