“The government has to make a decision fast on this matter,” he told FMT today, urging the government to delay the October reopening of schools.

The Gopeng MP said that there was no hurry to reopen schools, adding: “The government has already wasted over one year. What is another month or two?

“Why not vaccinate the older kids quickly and then let them go to school. It’s safer.”

On Aug 13, former vaccination minister Khairy Jamaluddin had stated that adolescents aged 12 to 17 would be vaccinated against Covid-19.

But Lee said the change in government had caused another delay in the issue, urging Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to consult stakeholders and implement the vaccination programme for adolescents as soon as possible.

As for those sitting for the SPM and STPM exams, he urged the education ministry to review the examination method, and called for project-based examinations to be introduced.

Study methods and examinations should be changed because Covid-19 had disrupted daily lives.

He called for testing and vaccinations to be stepped up in Perak, Penang, Kedah, Johor and Melaka, where less than 50% of the adult population have been vaccinated.

The health ministry reported a dip in overall Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, recording 17,672 infections today.

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