Negri MB: Students must be vaccinated before they return to schools on Sept 1

Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun. -filepic

SEREMBAN: Students must be given Covid-19 vaccinations before they return to schools on Sept 1, says Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.

The Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar said this was necessary following the emergence of more virulent variants such as the Delta and Lambda strains.

"I am all for the reopening of schools on Sept 1, but the students must be given vaccinations first.

"I am sure this can be done because I have been told that only those in Form 5 and Form 6 and who will be sitting for exams will be returning for face-to-face lessons first," he told reporters after launching the state-level Fly the Jalur Gemilang campaign in conjunction with Merdeka Day on Aug 31.

Aminuddin said there are some 30,000 students who would be sitting for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia and Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia exams in the state, and it should not be a problem to vaccinate them before school reopens.

On July 17, the Education Ministry announced that schools would reopen in stages for face-to-face classes from Sept 1.

However, this ruling is subject to change, depending on the latest risk assessments by the Health Ministry and National Security Council.

The ministry had said it will announce more details on the reopening of schools for face-to-face learning at least one week before schools open.

The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin had also said that all school staff will be vaccinated by the time schools reopen.

This is to ensure the school environment is safe when it reopens.

Aminuddin said vaccinating the students was also important to prevent school clusters.

"The authorities may say that this may not happen, but as far as the Negri Sembilan government is concerned, we hope this can be avoided altogether," he said.

As of Wednesday (Aug 11), 81,571 Covid-19 cases have been reported in the state, resulting in 832 deaths.

A total of 8,117 people are still undergoing treatment at various health facilities in the state.