Freed of EMCO, residents put hopes on vaccination

PETALING JAYA: City dwellers are calling for Covid-19 vaccinations to go into top gear to allow for the economy to open up sooner and travel to resume.

Despite the easing of movement restrictions in the Klang Valley as most of Selangor and parts of Kuala Lumpur go back into Phase One of the National Recovery Plan, they say that bringing down infections through vaccination is important for society to get back to normal.

Adam Razak Lim, 39, from Shah Alam, said having more vaccination centres (PPV) in the city and surrounding areas would help ease the crowd at mega centres.

“People also don’t have to travel far to get vaccinated.

“We need more PPV at the community level, including in rural areas, for a comprehensive reach,” he said.

The pharmacist said although the enhanced movement control order had been lifted, this did not mean that people were free to roam around without adhering to the standard operating procedure.

“Other than work, I will not go out unnecessarily,” he added.

Seri Nor Nadiah Koris, 30, said while she was happy with the lifting of the enhanced MCO, she was also concerned about the number of Covid-19 cases nationwide.

“Of course, I’m happy that the restrictions have been slightly lifted but I am also worried for all of our health,” she said.

She added that she was looking forward to the return of normalcy once Covid-19 vaccinations had been given out.

“I’m more worried about the Delta variant cases across the world.

“At the moment, our company has put us on a rotation system, with one group allowed to work from home while the rest is expected to come into office,” said the content writer.

She added that she hoped the government would expedite the Covid-19 vaccination programme, especially in the Klang Valley.

On Friday, the government announced that it was lifting the enhanced MCO in 34 sub-districts in Selangor as well as in certain localities in Kuala Lumpur.

Restaurateur Burhan Mohamed said he hoped the government would ease restrictions for those who have been vaccinated with at least one dose.

“It’s going to be a good idea as everybody has been suffering for a while now.

“We can loosen up some restrictions for those who have been vaccinated, but still adhere to the SOP properly.

“This will allow more confidence among the public when they are out too,” said Burhan, who is the managing director of Original Penang Kayu Nasi Kandar.

Engineer KC Chang, who lives in Cheras and got his second vaccine jab two weeks ago, said he had not been home to see his parents in Ipoh for over a year now.

“Other than the cities, the government should also ensure that people in all states, including rural areas, are vaccinated as soon as possible so that they can move on,” he said.