Reopen all sectors of economy immediately, groups urge govt

PETALING JAYA: The reopening and resumption of all economic sectors should be allowed immediately while fully-vaccinated individuals should be allowed to physically be in their workplaces, say several business and retail groups.

They said the reopening of the economy should not require any further approvals from the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) or other authorities.

They also said those who were fully vaccinated should be excluded from the existing maximum of 60% of employees in a particular organisation to be allowed back in the workplace.

"There should be no distinction as to whether any sectors are ‘essential’ or not, because of the very fact that a particular sector exists, it is already playing an essential role in the supply chain," they said in a joint letter on Tuesday (Aug 7) to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin..

The letter was signed by the Malaysian Shopping Malls Association, Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA), Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA), Bumiputra Retailers Organisation (BRO), Malaysia REIT Managers Association (MRMA), Malaysian Association of Theme Park and Family Attractions (MATFA) and the Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors (MAFE).

They said they fully supported and applauded Khairy's statement that Covid-19 was endemic, calling it a realistic stance.

They said they were uplifted to see that the country’s overall vaccination rate was now at 68% of the adult population, with a 95.7% rate achieved in the Klang Valley; and that the public welcomed the "privileges" accorded to those who have been fully vaccinated.

"The ability of employers to restore their businesses back to normal and pay salaries will, in turn, encourage spending into the domestic economic systems and create the much-needed multiplier effect for overall rapid revival of our country’s economy.

"As well as saving livelihoods, this will definitely allow businesses to restart more quickly and immediately and contribute positively to the recovery of our economy," they said.

They also hoped the authorities could consider allowing all public sector employees who were fully vaccinated to return to work in their offices to mirror the private sector, so that government processes would be up to date and not become backlogged due to lack of employees physically at work.

They also commended the recent upgrade of the MySejahtera app which now indicated accurate and full information on an individual’s health levels including vaccination status.