PULAU PANGKOR: About 30 per cent of frontline workers in the tourism sector have been vaccinated against COVID-19 so far, said Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

She said the ministry was doing its best to gather information on the vaccination level of industry players in tourist hotspots throughout the country.

"We are in the process of collecting their names, including those who have registered in MySejahtera, so that they can be vaccinated soon. They include those in Melaka, Penang, Johor, Sabah, Kuala Lumpur and Pahang, especially frontliners in the tourism, craft and arts sectors.

"Even though they have registered in MySejahtera, we will try to help speed up and double the number of those vaccinated," she told reporters at a vaccination programme in the island resort under the COVID-19 Free Destination Programme initiative here today.

Nancy said tourism frontliners such as taxi drivers and hotel workers needed to be vaccinated as a preparation to welcome back tourists.


"We (ministry) are helping to double up the number of vaccinated people, including tourism frontliners, as no state has yet reached 40 to 50 per cent (vaccination rate)," she said.

Meanwhile, Nancy in a statement said Pulau Pangkor is expected to achieve 80 per cent herd immunity by early September.

"In Pulau Pangkor, a total of 8,026 residents are eligible to receive the vaccine from a total population of 11,500. Some 1,056 people have completed both doses while 1,002 people have received their first dose since July 11 and a total of 5,968 people have not received the vaccine yet," she said.

Nancy said the Manjung Health Office (PKD) had started an outreach programme three days a week for eight consecutive weeks from July 16 with a target of vaccinating 540 people a day.

-- BERNAMA