PETALING JAYA, Aug 1 (Sin Chew Daily) — The SME Association of Malaysia works with COVID-19 Immunization Task Force (CITF) to vaccinate foreign workers, including illegal ones via a mobile team.

SME Association of Malaysia Datuk president Datuk Michael Kang said the collaboration would begin in mid-August.

In an interview with Sin Chew Daily, Kang urged small and business entrepreneurs to sign up at https://smemalaysia.org/vaccine-workers for the association to know the head count and offer vaccination as soon as possible.

Kang said the response is lukewarm at the moment with only over 10,000 illegal migrant workers signing up as many employers are fearful their illegal workers might be arrested.

Kang, who is also a member of the National Recovery Council, said the government had assured that action would not be taken against illegal migrant workers.

He urged the employers to sign up for their foreign workers, including illegal migrant workers, for them to get vaccinated.

Kang said the collaboration would start in Klang Valley.

The government has sufficient vaccines for migrant workers but does not have the information about foreign workers, including illegal ones.

"By providing the contact number of person in charge and name as well as the number of migrant workers including illegal ones, we will arrange for the mobile team to visit them.

"We do not wish the foreign workers to be vaccinated at national vaccination centers that may affect the locals. We are also afraid of possible outbreak," he said.

Kang said if the number of foreign workers was high, more than one mobile clinic bus would be arranged to vaccinate the workers.

The number of illegal migrant workers in Malaysia is estimated to range between two to three million, at least half a million in Klang Valley.

Most of the illegal migrant workers are believed to be employed in the agricultural sector, he said.

Kang said many migrant workers were not signing up for vaccination for fear of being arrested by the authorities.

One of the solutions was to offer them vaccination carried out by mobile teams.