Negri govt wants all assemblymen to get Covid-19 vaccine booster shot

SEREMBAN: The Negri Sembilan government wants all 36 assemblymen in the state to be given the Covid-19 vaccine booster shot, says Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (pic).

The Mentri Besar said this was necessary as the lawmakers met the rakyat on a regular basis.

"We want all state exco members and assemblymen to be given the shots as this will give them more confidence when meeting the people, including their constituents.

"We will apply for this but it will be up to the assemblyman concerned if he or she wants it," he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting at Wisma Negri here on Wednesday (Oct 27).

Prior to this, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the booster shots will be offered to groups deemed to be high-risk – such as the elderly, the immunocompromised, or healthcare workers – but it will not be compulsory.

The booster shot would be given on a voluntary basis and would be free under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.

Frontliners, as well as those over the age of 60 who received their last dose more than six months ago, will be notified through MySejahtera.

Separately, Aminuddin expressed hope that those who have yet to be vaccinated will do so soonest.

He said these individuals would face lots of problems such as not being able to enter places of worship or eateries, travel interstate or abroad.

"Being fully vaccinated has become a necessity. Although the number of people against it is small, I hope they will seriously reconsider their decision or else they will face lots of unnecessary inconvenience," he said.

He could not provide the number of people who had yet to be vaccinated but said that based on statistics, almost all adults in the state have been fully vaccinated.

On another matter, Aminuddin said it was not possible for the Negri Sembilan FC to continue to participate in the Malaysia Cup campaign after 24 players and team officials tested positive for Covid-19 last week.

He said since they had to undergo quarantine, they would not have enough time to prepare for the next match against Kedah Darul Aman FC on Oct 29.

Asked how the players and officials got infected, Aminuddin who is team adviser said this could not be established as yet.

"Once we moved to Phase Four of the National Recovery Plan, the players were allowed to go home and travel inter-district.

"We only knew they were infected when they were required to undergo a swab test during a training session last week," he added.