THE Pakatan Harapan (PH) health committee has cautioned Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the Federal Government to reopen the nation with due care, considering the vaccination coverage is still low and uneven across different states.
“A hasty and poorly thought reopening would only introduce an additional unpredictable variable into the pandemic equation further embarrassing the struggling healthcare system,” said the committee in a statement today.
Cautioning that any hasty decision could lead to a surge in COVID-19 cases, the health committee said that the ‘green pass’ for the fully-vaccinated must come after:
- Vaccination coverage of at least 60%;
- All high-risk groups, namely the elderly, disabled and those with comorbidities must be fully vaccinated;
- The healthcare capacity is less than 70% occupied;
- The COVID-19 test positivity rate should be less than 5%; and
- The COVID-19 incidence rate should be less than 250 per 100,000 active cases.
Only when these parameters are met should Putrajaya consider granting extra privileges or a ‘green pass’ to those who have been fully vaccinated, said the committee.
“But despite the privileges conferred by the Green Pass, all the public health measures including the wearing of face masks, practising physical distancing, hand hygiene must be adhered and judiciously enforced especially in view of the transmissibility and virulence of the variants of concern,” said the committee.
Yesterday, Putrajaya announced the relaxation of several rules for those who have been fully vaccinated from Aug 10.
This includes allowing couples in long-distance relationships to travel and meet each other as well as dining in at eateries in all states under Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan. – Aug 9, 2021
