Woman Denied Entry Into A PPV In Penang Because Her Skirt Ended Above Her Knees
The Kompleks Masyarakat Penyayang vaccination centre's (PPV) dress code specifies that one must wear formal clothing — such as a suit jacket — for vaccinations.
By Jananey Ramachandran — 19 Jul 2021, 06:13 PM
On Saturday, 17 July, a man tweeted that his girlfriend was denied entry to Kompleks Masyarakat Penyayang in George Town, Penang in adherence to the centre's conservative dress code
Twitter user @penangstrays addressed the Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the Ministry of Health (MOH), and Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in his tweet, requesting an explanation on the issue.
"Why is there a dress code for the vaccination centre in Kompleks Masyarakat Penyayang in Penang?" he asked.
He said that his girlfriend accompanied her aunt to the vaccination centre (PPV) for her vaccination appointment. But due to this dress code — which is stamped by the Northeast District Health Office (PKDTL) — his girlfriend was stopped at the entrance.
After negotiating with the security personnel, she was finally allowed to accompany her aunt inside.
"What about the people dressed in a dinosaur costume or Donald Duck costume?" @penangstrays asked, as he questioned the need for dress code at PPVs
He tweeted a photo of his girlfriend's attire, in which it can be seen that she was wearing a skirt that ended slightly above her knees.
In another photograph, @penangstrays tweeted the dress code signboard which shows one must wear formal clothing — such as a suit jacket — for vaccination. Jeans, T-shirt, and other informal clothing are not allowed.
He told SAYS that this Twitter thread was not meant to put the blame on the security personnel at the PPV; if anything, he is grateful for all that the frontliners — including the security personnel — have done.
@penangstrays also told SAYS that he has not received any responses from the authorities regarding this issue but added that his girlfriend's aunt's vaccination went smoothly despite the incident.
SAYS reached out to the Special Committee for Ensuring Access to COVID-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) and MOH but has not received any response at the time of publishing.
Yesterday, 18 July, China Press reported that PKDTL officer Datin Dr Azizah Abdul Manan emphasised there is no such thing as a required dress code at the PPV
She told China Press that all PPVs do not have a standardised dress code, and visitors should only dress modestly.
Azizah said that the woman's skirt was okay and that the security guards may have been too strict. In any case, she reiterated that this is not PKDTL's policy.
China Press also reported that Azizah has requested for the dress code signage to be removed immediately.
"The dress code is actually an old signage from when the building was used as PKDTL's office," she said.
