JOHOR BARU: Johor is expected to move into Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) by next week, says Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad.

       This comes as the state has met several criteria set by the Federal Government under the NRP.

       “God willing, Johor will soon move into Phase 2 by next week,” he said when met after handing over three ventilator machines to Sultanah Aminah Hospital here yesterday.

       Malaysia will allow the various states to reopen under four phases based on three main indicators: the number of daily Covid-19 cases, the number of people who are fully vaccinated, and the state of the healthcare system (especially the availability of intensive care unit beds).

       States that have moved to Phase 2 include Perlis, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, and Penang.

       Hasni also said that the state would be getting additional vaccine supply this month.

       “I have spoken to the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, and they will be giving us an additional 300,000 doses, bringing the total number Johor is receiving to 1.24 million doses,” he said.

       “With the additional vaccines, we can give up to 50,000 shots per day.”

       He added that with the increase in the allocation, the state government would be able to start its own vaccination programme called ImmuPlan Johor Initiative soon.

       So far, some 110,000 names have been registered and screened as the state government crosschecks with MySejahtera to ensure no overlaps.

       “This will help Johor reach its target of having 80% of its population getting vaccinated by October.”