PUTRAJAYA has spent almost RM116 million to house 104,467 persons under investigation (PUIs) in 322 Covid-19 quarantine centres, said Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof.

“As of July 24, the cost of using hotels and training institutes to quarantine PUIs was RM115.9 million, with RM49.6 million for hotels.

“The remainder was for training institutes,” the special functions minister told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to a question by Sim Chee Keong (Bukit Mertajam-PH) on the cost of housing PUIs and the private contractors hired.

“At the hotels, the budget of RM150 per person per day includes food and other services. The choice of food suppliers for those housed in training institutes was handled by the state government,” he said, adding that the National Disaster Management Agency has paid RM2.12 million to 21 such suppliers.

He said he will list down all the food suppliers and contractors engaged in a written reply.

During the movement-control order that took effect on March 18, returnees from overseas were quarantined in hotels and training institutes to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Redzuan added that the cost of housing PUIs in hotels is cheaper than training institutes.

“The cost to manage one person in a training institute is RM4,700, and in a hotel, RM4,100.” – August 4, 2020.