SIBU, May 16: Sibu Municipal Council will make it a requirement for all traders at its markets to be vaccinated against Covid-19 before they are allowed to open their stalls for business.
Its chairman Clarence Ting said today that the move is intended to make the markets safe for the public to patronise.
He would also be proposing the same requirement apply to those in the food and beverage business such as coffee shops, restaurant, bistros and bars.
“We want a safe environment for customers to dine in. All these can only happen when they are vaccinated,” he added.
Ting said he had been informed by traders at the central markets about their frustration over slow business.
“I am not surprised that the public has been avoiding markets due to the numerous positive cases in March and early April,” he added.
Ting together with council staff and Junior Chamber International (JCI) Sibu members assisted 125 traders to register for Covid-19 vaccinations.
Of this total, 100 of them are from the central market and the other 25 from Pasar Tamu Taman Indah.
“There were 68 traders at the Pasar Tamu but only 25 of them agreed to the registration. We started off with a reluctant trader from Bintangor claiming she is unwell so she won’t want to vaccinate,” he said.
The group also found the number of registrations among the Iban traders is much better than Chinese traders as their awareness is also better.
All those reluctant to get vaccinated cited having comorbidities which make them not eligible for Covid-19 vaccine.
“SDMC (State Disaster Management Committee) and KKM (Health Ministry) should do a publicity blitz to change this mindset,” Ting urged. — DayakDaily
