Malaysians are currently bracing for a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government is stepping up efforts to encourage Malaysians to be vaccinated in phases. Efforts have been made by the government to secure adequate doses of vaccination with the aim of achieving herd immunity. Most frontliners have already been vaccinated since early 2021 and the government is now gearing towards subsequent phases of the vaccination programme. This is expected to continue over the next few months.
Notwithstanding these efforts, the government has commented that registration by members of the public to volunteer for vaccination is still low (as compared to other developed countries) and there have been suggestions to review the current vaccination programme in order to achieve the government’s aim. The FAQs provided in this Update serve as a brief guide for employers to better understand the current vaccination framework in Malaysia from an employment law perspective.