KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — The Malaysia Shopping Malls Association (PPK) today requested the government to utilise shopping centres as Covid-19 vaccination centres (PPV), instead of postponing the inoculation programme for retail workers.
PPK said that retail industry associations mooted the concept of shopping malls hosting the industrial vaccination centres (PPVIN), particularly for retail workers under the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP).
However, KPDNHEP last month announced that shopping malls’ vaccination programmes would be postponed from July to August.
PPK mentioned that more than 60 malls have offered to host PPVs and have agreed to deeply subsidise the operations.
PPK said that malls have already made plans and indeed several venues have been inspected by the KPDNHEP by the end of last month, with plans to implement the Covid-19 vaccination project in July.
“We were totally devastated and extremely disappointed that the Mall PPV project was suddenly announced to be postponed to August instead,” PPK mentioned in a joint statement with the Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA), the Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA), the Bumiputera Retailers Organisation (BRO), the Malaysia REIT Managers Association (MRMA), and the Malaysian Association of Theme Park and Family Attractions (MATFA).
“We do not comprehend this inexplicable postponement as by then more than 100,000 staff have enthusiastically signed up under MDTCA and the employers have all consented to foot the bill for their employees’ vaccination.”
According to PPK, apart from providing the venues, shopping malls also agreed to charge RM50 per person for complete Covid-19 vaccination at shopping centres. Of that amount, RM30 would go to the government-owned ProtectHealth Corporation for vaccine administration.
“Yet inexplicably, instead of speedily encouraging such a generous and noble offer, we appear to have been side-lined and the programme postponed to August.”
“We wish to reiterate that assuming the PPVIN carries out vaccination for the 100,000 employees already registered, this would already save the government a portion of their expenses amounting to RM6 mil.
PPK also estimated that the government would be able to save RM30 million by vaccinating 500,000 employees in shopping malls and retail industries.
“This would translate to a win-win solution for both the public and private sector as simultaneously, the PPVIN programme with malls and retailer operators would contribute positively towards the speed and volume of vaccinations so urgently needed today.”
