KOTA BARU: The state will assist relevant agencies especially the health department with their efforts to encourage the Orang Asli to get vaccinated.
Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said the state through its respective district officers would provide necessary assistance to the relevant agencies.
"If an Orang Asli area is being placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO), agencies like the police and the health department will handle the vaccination.
"Besides the two agencies, the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) will also send officers to monitor the situation.
"The state government will provide necessary assistance if needed," he said.
Kelantan recorded its first Covid-19 case involving the Orang Asli community early this week from a man who worked in Cameron Highlands.
State health director Datuk Dr Zaini Hussin said the Orang Asli man was the index case for the infections which then spread to a few Orang Asli settlements in Gua Musang.
So far, he said 19 positive cases were detected in six settlements in the district.
Following the spike in cases, Dr Zaini said the government decided to implement the EMCO covering the six villages beginning today.
The six affected villages are Kampung Cekau, Kampung Jedip WCT, Kampung Seng Sang, Kampung Lojing, Kampung Sendrop and Kampung Penangau.
It was reported earlier that the state health department is expected to receive some 8,000 single vaccination doses for the Orang Asli community.