In a tweet, Noor Hisham warned that abusing the newly announced privileges — such as dining-in and travelling beyond 10km — could see the country’s efforts in battling the Covid-19 pandemic go to waste.
“We need to remember that there are still some people who have not been vaccinated and they are susceptible to Covid-19 infection,” he said.
“For individuals who have already been fully vaccinated, they need to have a high degree of discipline not to abuse the privileges granted.”
He also said it was crucial that Covid-19 transmission rates be kept as low as possible to prevent the spread of variants or the emergence of new variants.
Among the benefits granted to fully vaccinated individuals living in areas under Phase 1 of the national recovery plan (NRP) this month include allowing couples in long-distance relationships to cross state and district borders to visit one another, and granting parents similar permission to visit their children if they are under the age of 18.
Those fully vaccinated are also now allowed to pray at mosques, suraus and non-Muslim houses of worship.
While the 10km travel limit and restrictions on the number of passengers in each car was lifted for fully vaccinated individuals in Phase 1 areas yesterday, inter-district and interstate travel remains banned.
Fully vaccinated individuals are now allowed to dine-in at eateries, and 11 economic sectors have also been given the green light to resume operations for those fully vaccinated.
Individuals are considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines, or 28 days after receiving single-dose vaccines such as Johnson & Johnson and CanSino.
13,500 retail workers fully vaccinated so far
A total of 45,960 retail sector workers in four states have been vaccinated since July 26, of whom 13,500 have completed both doses, the secretary-general of the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry (KPDNHEP), Hasnol Zam Zam Ahmad said today.
He said nine vaccination centres for the retail industry are in operation, three in Penang; two each in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor; and one each in Putrajaya and Melaka, Bernama reported.
More industry vaccination centres would be opened, he said. Discussions were under way with the Johor, Pahang and Kedah state governments.
“More than 80% of all retail sector workers will receive the vaccine by October,” he said.
KPDNHEP also encourages employers in the retail and distribution sectors to expedite the vaccination process for their employees to enable their businesses to resume normal operations, he said.
“We are ready to provide support and assistance if needed. For example, KPDNHEP has helped provide 10 buses to employers from Pahang to bring retail sector workers to be vaccinated in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.