SEREMBAN: Less than one per cent of the 7,273 state civil servants have yet to be vaccinated against Covid-19, says Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.

       The Mentri Besar said the latest data shows that only 53 individuals had yet to be inoculated with 17 of that number coming from the Seremban City Council.

       "Otherwise, we have between one and three individuals in a few state departments and agencies who have yet to be vaccinated.

       "I am confident the numbers will come down further as they have till the end of this month to (get vaccinated)," he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting at Wisma Negri here on Wednesday (Oct 13).

       Aminuddin said only two weeks ago, the number of state employees who had yet to get vaccinated stood at 64.

       "We have a small number of employees who are still very much against getting vaccinated but I hope they will change their minds soon," he said.

       Asked if disciplinary action would be taken against them if they failed to do so, Aminuddin said that depended on the Public Service Department (PSD).

       The PSD had earlier said that government employees still unvaccinated as of Nov 1 without being exempted for health issues would be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the Public Officers (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993.

       Separately, Aminuddin said that as of Tuesday (Oct 12), 99.2% of all adults in the state have been fully vaccinated.

       Those between 12 and 17 years of age who have received their first jab stood at 84.4%, while 6.8% have been fully vaccinated.

       Negri Sembilan entered Phase Four of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) on Sept 24.

       To another question, Aminuddin said the state government was still hoping that the 39km Seremban-Port Dickson railway line would be rebuilt.

       The line was closed in July 2008 following the derailment of a freight train transporting diesel from a refinery in Port Dickson to Ipoh.

       Since then, there had been plans to revive the project under a private-public partnership initiative.

       Under the rehabilitation plan, the authorities had also planned to reintroduce a passenger service that was stopped in the 1970s.

       "We hope the private sector together with Keretapi Tanah Melayu and Railway Assets Corporation can make this a reality," he added.