Johor 'will test, trace and vaccinate better', says chief minister after meeting with crown prince

JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor state government is adopting a "strategy shift" in managing the COVID-19 pandemic and aiming to "test, trace and vaccinate better", said Johor Chief Minister Hasni Mohammad. 

He said this in response to calls from Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim to expedite initiatives for residents to be widely screened and vaccinated as soon as possible. 

In a Facebook post on Sunday (Jul 4), Mr Hasi wrote: "The state government is adopting a 'strategy shift' in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Johor is aware that COVID-19 will be endemic and ‘live’ in our community for quite some time."

A new approach, through the implementation of public health protocols, should be adopted so that COVID-19 can be managed more efficiently and effectively, he said.

"These measures include increasing access to self-test kits, allocating resources to obtain more vaccine supplies as well as other reasonable measures. 

"Under the new ‘strategy shift’, Johor ‘will test, trace and vaccinate better’," Mr Hasni added. 

READ: COVID-19 curbs to be eased in 5 Malaysian states as they move to phase 2 of national recovery plan

LOCKING PEOPLE INDOORS NO LONGER RELEVANT: JOHOR CROWN PRINCE 

Tunku Ismail's statement was issued following his meeting with Mr Hasni, Johor State Tourism, Youth and Sports Committee chairman Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Johor State Secretary Azmi Rohani on Sunday. 

"To date, the COVID-19 statistics indicate a high number of daily cases. The rakyat (people) have been stuck at home for almost two months and I'm worried that the people are now facing mental and physical health problems," said Tunku Ismail. 

"Besides that, socioeconomic issues have also arisen due to the prolonged situation. I feel that the SOPs (standard operating procedures) need to be revised holistically and based on accurate data. Simply locking the people indoors is no longer relevant," he added.