THE requirement that only people who are fully vaccinated can dine in, travel interstate for specific reasons and participate other activities announced resumed by the government is applicable for all phases of the National Recovery Plan, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.

He said the cabinet agreed today that the resumption of any activity announced up till now under the country’s exit from the Covid-19 pandemic will only be applicable for those fully vaccinated, regardless which phase of the recovery plan a state is in.

“We do want to reopen all sectors in an orderly manner.

“But because the Delta variant is dominant, at 94.9%, the cabinet today agreed that every activity allowed as announced before this is on the condition of full vaccination, and this is for every phase of the National Recovery Plan,” Khairy said in a statement.

His statement follows his tweet earlier this afternoon, which implied that the standard operating procedure (SOP) detailed by the National Security Council are not clear or specific enough.

“The need to be fully vaccinated for dine-in is for all phases. The rules issued by MKN (National Security Council) are not up to date. Dine-in privileges for all recovery phases (is) only for those fully vaccinated,” Khairy tweeted earlier.

He was retweeted by Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who said that the rule did not only apply to dine ins, but to all activities announced to date, and for all phases of the recovery plan.“

(MKN) has been instructed to immediately update rules and SOPs,” Hishammuddin also tweeted.

Fully vaccinated means completing a 14-day wait after receiving the second jab of a two-dose vaccine, and 28 days after a single-dose jab.

States are now in either phase 2, 3, or 4 of the recovery plan, after Kedah became the last to move out of phase 1, which has the strictest movement-controls, effective today.

Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya also moved from phase 2 to 3 today.

Khairy appears to be addressing the misconception that people could participate in more activities whether they are vaccinated or not, as states move to more relaxed phases of the recovery plan.

Besides dine-ins, the range of activities allowed for the fully vaccinated include inter-state travel for spouses living apart, returning to work on-site, sports and recreational activities, going to spas and wellness centres, shopping at markets or getting a haircut, and official and private sector functions as well as in-person seminars and training sessions.

Further SOP for some of these activities state that Covid-19 self-tests are required beforehand and limited capacity at the venues involved to allow for social distancing.

Khairy said today that those who cannot be vaccinated because of medical reasons must have proof of this and be certified by a medical practitioner.

He also stressed community empowerment as the country enters the endemic phase of Covid-19, whereby individuals must do their part to monitor themselves and follow the SOP.

“The first line of defence against Covid-19 begins with yourself. The moment you experience symptoms, get tested, and if you’re positive, isolate,” he said. – October 1, 2021.