FOLLOWING reports of overcrowding, the vaccination centre at the Midlands Convention Centre, Shah Alam was closed today.

Shah Alam police chief Baharudin Mat Taib said the industrial vaccination centre was closed to arrange better co-ordination of duties, following overcrowding yesterday.

“It was the centre management who made the decision (on one-day closure),” he said briefly through WhatsApp today.

He also confirmed the authenticity of a viral video on social media showing crowds in long queues and the lack of social distancing outside the centre.

Migrant workers who had shown up today expressed dismay at the closure.

They told The Malaysian Insight that it cost them almost RM100 to travel back and forth from Kuala Lumpur.

“One way trip from Bukit Bintang costs me about RM50 to get here and it’s heart-breaking to find out that the centre is closed,” said a man, who identified himself as Palippodi.

He said there was no update on his MySejahtera that the appointment had been cancelled.

“I have not been working for almost two months now, so spending RM100 to get here has not been easy, I even borrowed from my friends,” he said.

Indonesian Sutina said that she also came yesterday but the authorities told her to come today due to the overcrowding then, too.

“It costs me RM70 to travel back and forth from Kuala Lumpur and within these two days I have spent almost RM150 just on transport to get my vaccine.

“Unfortunately, all that money has gone to waste,” she said.

A Bangladeshi, who wanted to be known as Alam, said today was the second day he had come to the centre.

“I’ve been showing up here for two days and I have yet to get my vaccine.

“If my MySejahtera gives me another location in the next couple of days, I am not sure whether I will go for it because it costs me a lot for transport,” he said.

He added that it has been almost three months since he lost his job. – August 6, 2021.