LENGGONG: The Perak state government had until July, spent over RM68.1 million for necessities and matters related to COVID-19, said Menteri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad.

He said RM46,197,739 went to the distribution of food boxes, purchase of items needed by the frontliners and workers at vaccination centres (PPVs) while RM21,930,767 was channeled through the state economic stimulus package (PREN).

"Under PREN for example, we helped traders who wanted to restart their business and offered moratoriums to government borrowers such as those under the Rumah Insan Amanjaya Scheme or have taken microcredit loans.

"We have also extended moratoriums to tenants of local authority (PBT) premises. The total amount spent for PREN until last June was RM21,930,767, "he said when met by reporters after handing over food aid to fishermen in Lenggong district at Pusat Pekasam Negara here today.

He did not rule out the possibility that additional assistance will have to be extended with the rise in number of COVID-19 patients.

Meanwhile Saarani said the state government has not decided on turning Sungai Siput Hospital (HSS) as a treatment centre for COVID-19 patients following the increase in COVID-19 cases over the past few days.

"Perhaps it was just a proposal and for HSS to be prepared should there be a spike in cases as with how the the government had provided the COVID-19 Integrated Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRC) 2.0 at the Malaysia Agriculture Expo Park (MAEPS) Serdang," he said adding that the state government was prepared should the situation reaches a critical level.

Earlier, social media was abuzz with news that outpatient treatment services at HSS would be temporarily suspended from July 29 to make way for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Saarani added that apart from some people violating the inter-district travel restriction during the recent Aidiladha celebration, the surge in positive cases was also due to the mass screening being conducted in Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) areas.

-- BERNAMA