Malaysians must not become complacent in fight against Covid-19, says King

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians must not get complacent in the fight against Covid-19 despite the success of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, says Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

The King said in his Royal Address at the opening of the Fourth Session of the 14th Parliament that the fight must go on and added that the new government must work hard to bring down the daily number of cases and make sure herd immunity is achieved.

He added in his Royal Address on Monday (Sept 13) that he was pleased with the continuous effort by the government in launching various strategies against Covid-19 and its socio-economic impact on Malaysians and also said that this was apparent in Malaysia’s high recovery and quick vaccination rates, as well as the fact that the majority of new cases had been in Categories 1 and 2.

Category 1 and 2 Covid-19 cases are either asymptomatic or exhibit mild symptoms.

"Right now, almost 75% of workers in the manufacturing sector have registered with the industry vaccination programme and have been fully vaccinated.

"This has helped to increase productivity in factories and the manufacturing sector," said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

"But behind these successes, let’s not let our guard down and feel complacent. We have to continue with our efforts, especially with the emergence of new virus variants," he added.

The King also said that the "whole of society effort" needs to be ramped up with effective communication narratives to make things work.

Welcoming the government’s effort in promoting the Malaysia Sihat national agenda by educating people in how to coexist with the virus, the King said people will be more accepting and get used to living with the virus.

"With us accepting Covid-19 as endemic, where it will be part of our lives, we need to realise how dangerous it is, especially with the new variants and possibly newer ones in the future," he said.

"Everyone must stay vigilant to take care of their wellbeing and be disciplined to adhere to the standard operating procedures at all times. More importantly, the people must make sure they get vaccinated," added the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Earlier before the start of his speech, the King remembered Malaysians who died due to Covid-19 and called on members of the Dewan Rakyat to recite the al-Fatihah.