By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, May 27: The Malaysia Security Industry Association (PIKM) Sarawak is appealing to the Sarawak government for its 10,000 security guards in the State to be given high priority to receive the Covid-19 vaccination as soon as possible.
Its Sarawak branch committee member Shaharuddin Samsi in a press statement today said security guards were the unsung heroes and frontliners who are among the earliest to be exposed to the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
He said they are among the high risk individuals in their line of work, as they they stand at the frontlines by helping those check-in before entering premises and taking the temperatures of individuals in risky places such as hospital, quarantine centres, banks, supermarkets and so forth.
“Recently, the number Covid-19 positive cases in Sarawak are worrying with a few new variants detected which has affected the public and private sectors.
“Nonetheless, frontliners such as security guards continued their duties to ensure the security and safety of the public and private sector premises even though they are facing with the risk of Covid-19 infection.
“Although PIKM has presented the request to the federal government for security guards in private sector to be given priority for Covid-19 vaccine, they are not considered as frontliners who will receive the Covid-19 jab under Phase One of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) and was advised to register through MySejahtera and wait for the vaccination appointment,” he said.
Shaharuddin asserted that under Article 16 of the First Schedule of the Industrial Relations Act 1967, private sector security services was listed as essential services.
Hence, Shaharuddin sought the help of the State government to enable security guards in Sarawak to be vaccinated as they need to be protected to ensure the safety of the public and private sectors premises at all times. — DayakDaily
