MySejahtera app may be required for certain premises - Mohd Redzuan

Certain premises may be required to use the MySejahtera application in the future as a method to help the government curb the spread of COVID-19, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Special Functions) Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof said the matter was being discussed with the National Security Council and the office of the Attorney-General, among others, on whether it could be enforced as a law.

"We want to encourage these premises when registering to open, to have the MySejahtera application so that anyone entering their premises have to use the application and no longer fill out a form.

"But we will not put a stop to the use of the form. This is a process of developing a new culture...we are carrying out various methods to make it easy for the people to help the government to curb the spread of COVID-19," he said.

Mohd Redzuan said this during the Minister's Question Time in response to a supplementary question from Dr Lee Boon Chye (PKR-Gopeng).

Lee had wanted to know the constraints in using the MySejahtera application as many premises still provided manual methods of filling up their customers' personal information, the authenticity of which is doubtful.

The application, developed through strategic cooperation between the Health Ministry, National Security Council, Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU), the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, among others, is able to help the government detect COVID-19 patients and their close contacts.

Mohd Redzuan said, as of Sunday, the number of registered users of the MySejahtera application stands at 15.1 million people, where a total of 322 COVID-19 patients, which is 3.4 per cent of the total 9,200 cases of COVID-19, were detected through the application.

"This proves that this application can help the government in controlling the spread of the COVID-19,” he added.

-- BERNAMA