LETTER | The International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) and Health Ministry (MOH) have jointly rolled out the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme (Pikas) to ramp up efforts to achieve herd immunity under phase 4 of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.

They are targeting manufacturers and manufacturing-related services (MRS). Hence, the Small and Medium Enterprise Association (Samenta) fully welcomes and supports the Pikas initiative.

Likewise, Samenta has submitted a list of more than 4,000 workers that are ready to be vaccinated soon to Miti. Nonetheless, under Model 1 of Pikas (vaccination centres), participant SMEs must pay the administrative fees of RM90 for two doses. As such, Samenta is pushing our members towards Model 1, as Model 2 (on-site) is expected to cost more.

Problem statement

Pikas however does not include non-manufacturers such as retailers, traders, tuition centres, legal firms and other non-essential businesses. Based on the prime minister’s National Recovery Plan, these businesses can gradually open from July to Oct 2021. The phases of the recovery plan are measured by three criteria: the inoculation rate, Covid-19 numbers, and ICU bed occupancy rate.

Can the SMEs sustain and survive the longer lockdown? Many have no income but are still obligated to pay salaries and rental. As a result, businesses may be forced to close and many could lose their jobs. The impact of the lockdown on livelihoods is inevitable. The report also shows that the Economic Action Council (EAC) articulates that above 600,000 households from the middle 40 percent (M40) income group have slipped into the bottom 40 percent (B40) category as the Covid-19 crisis delivered a major blow on Malaysians’ income level.

Recommendations

The only way to speed up achievement of 60 percent herd immunity is to allow non-essential businesses such as traders, retailers, restaurants, tuition centres, legal firms etc to be included in Pikas.

Also, if a company has had 60 percent of its workforce have received at least a single dose of vaccine, the business should be allowed to operate immediately irrespective of the criterion.

The government should also provide tax deduction incentives for companies bearing the cost of vaccinating their staff in order to ease SMEs’ burden and also encourage more participation to achieve herd immunity as soon as possible.

LOUIS OOI is Samenta Southern chairperson.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.