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MP wants govt to start vaccination drive for e-hailing drivers, delivery riders

KUALA LUMPUR: Segambut member of Parliament Hannah Yeoh has urged the government to protect e-hailing drivers and delivery riders through three measures: vaccination, ventilation and integration.

These measures, she said, should start with immediate vaccination of the 200,000 drivers and delivery riders who are transporting thousands of people, food boxes and parcels from various locations daily.

"This is not exactly rocket science. I am surprised they are not treated as frontliners even though they are categorised as essential service providers during the Movement Control Order (MCO).

"We have all seen photos of thousands of patients visiting the Covid-19 Assessment Centre (CAC) daily and if they choose e-hailing services to take them there, surely the government ought to protect these industry players from catching the infection and infecting others.

"Secondly, the Health Ministry should provide guidance and encouragement on ventilation for these e-hailing rides.

"This is crucial for those transporting thousands of customers to CAC centres across Malaysia," she said in a statement today.

Hannah also proposed for the MySejahtera application embrace the open data concept by sharing its data with relevant industry players.

This, she said, was crucial as when a person books a ride, the driver would not be provided with any information on the passenger's Covid-19 status until he or she hopped into the car and to scan the QR code.

Even then, she said, the accuracy of the information depends on whether the customer's Covid-19 status in MySejahtera was updated and reflective of his or her health.

"The potential exposure and chain of infection is simply unimaginable yet can be avoided and must be avoided."

She also encouraged state governments to arrange a vaccination drive for the 200,000 e-hailing drivers and delivery riders without waiting for the federal government to do so.

"It grieves me to see that many of the 11,000 Covid cases daily could have been prevented if only there was coordination, competency and care exercised by these cabinet ministers.

"Again, this isn't rocket science."

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