MYSEJAHTERA’S check-in function has little value as the country transitions into the endemic phase, said Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.

He said Putrajaya should phase out check-ins on the app, whose original Covid-19 contact-tracing task has “little epidemiological value” now.

Contact-tracing was important only when the strategy was to contain and mitigate the spread of the virus, he added.

“Now that the standard operating procedures have changed – where quarantine is no longer needed for close contacts and screening is only for symptomatic patients – the check-in function has little epidemiological value,” said the DAP lawmaker.

“The federal government and Health Ministry should start phasing out the need for the public to check-in on MySejahtera as we approach endemicity and learn to live with Covid-19.

“This is especially so as the government plans to reopen borders and relax coronavirus restrictions.”

Yii also questioned how many Covid-19 cases were detected and notified to the public via the app’s check-in function.

“The feature’s effectiveness is in question, and the government must clarify the statistics and percentage of cases detected via this mechanism.”

With endemicity, the country’s strategy against Covid-19 must also change, he added.

He said future upgrades should take into account the necessity of such functions, as funds spent can be used to invest in the healthcare system instead.

Yii also urged the government to clarify ongoing concerns surrounding MySejahtera, following recent revelations that the app was developed without a proper contract and its proprietary rights sold by the developer to a private firm, which is forcing the government into a direct negotiation for take-over instead of open tender.

MySejahtera may still play a role in future with regard to pandemic management, he said.

Its contract-tracing task can be upgraded for future pandemics and reactivated when needed, he added.

Yii said the app can be converted to a “Green Pass System”, whereby users with a “green” status are allowed to conduct permitted activities as stipulated by the government, especially when it comes to travel, quarantine duration or proving the validity of a Covid-19 test result to gain entry into premises.

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan earlier urged the government to decide the duration of MySejahtera’s use, saying people ought to be allowed to return to normal life now that the country is embracing endemicity. – March 29, 2022.