KUCHING, June 25 — Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg said today that the state is now targeting workplaces in heavily populated industrial parks for the vaccination programme as a means to curb the threats of Covid-19 infections.
“We want to vaccinate workers at workplaces because between May to June 24 we have detected 25 Covid-19 clusters, involving 1,765 positive cases,” he told reporters after visiting the vaccine administration centres at the Spring Shopping Mall, Vivacity Mega Mall and Longi ( Kuching) Sdn Bhd.
He said positive cases from these clusters have spread to other areas where workers were residing.
“What we want we fear is that after they get infected at workplaces and they then spread it to their family members and other people in the villages,” the chief minister said when explaining why the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) has decided for the vaccinations to take place at workplaces.
He said multi-national corporations at these industrial parks throughout Sarawak currently employ some 46,888 workers, including 12,600 alone at the Samajaya Free Industrial High Technology Park here.
The chief minister praised the Spring Shopping Mall, Vivacity Mega Mall and Longi for setting up the vaccination centres at their premises as part of their corporate social responsibility programme.
He hoped that employees from other multi-national corporations at Samajaya can get their Covid jabs at at Longi.
The chief minister said after the industrial parks, SDMC will target the services and hospitality, plantation and timber sectors for the vaccination next.
“At this moment we have vaccinated about 40 per cent or 1.25 million of the eligible Sarawakians for the first and second doses of vaccines,” he said.
He said those who have received the doses included the rural dwellers, like Long Semado and Long San in the deep interior of Baram and Baleh.
The chief minister also made it clear that it is not a problem for Sarawakians in the interior areas without any identification documents to walk in and be vaccinated at the mobile centres.
He said the headmen or community leaders can vouch for those without identity cards.
“I am sure that other residents know who is born and raised in their villages,” he added.
SDMC chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah, who is also the deputy chief minister, SDMC advisor and Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian accompanied the chief minister on the visit to the vaccination centres.
