Perak to set up 2 low-risk Covid-19 treatment centres

IPOH – The Perak government plans to set up two low-risk Covid-19 quarantine and treatment centres to reduce congestion in hospitals following the increase in positive cases in the state.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said the state government is awaiting approval from the National Security Council (NSC) before activating the treatment centres, which will be in Ipoh and the southern part of the state.

He said the centres will be used to house low-risk asymptomatic Covid-19 patients undergoing follow-up treatment.

“The centres have not been gazetted, but if the NSC approves, we are ready. The state government will provide the facilities at both treatment centres,” he said here today.

On the implementation of the enhanced movement control order in Zone B and Zone C of Taman Meru 2C here spanning tomorrow until December 3, Ahmad Faizal said a one-stop centre was provided to make it easier for residents to get food supplies and daily necessities.

Ahmad Faizal said the state government, through the Tambun parliamentary people’s service centre and Kinta district office had provided various forms of assistance to the residents involved during the Covid-19 screening process in the area over the past few days.

Yesterday, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said EMCO was implemented in the two areas on the advice and risk assessment by the Health Ministry following the increase in Covid-19 cases in the two localities.

Earlier, Ahmad Faizal said that a total of 318 farmers in the state who were affected by the pandemic will receive agricultural donations from the state government, the latest by the end of next month.

He said the state government had allocated RM856,000 for the project, which would involve providing inputs such as fertilizer and pesticide for selected farmers to cultivate food crops such as vegetables, banana, papaya, corn, and chilli.

Ahmad Faizal said there was a drop in agriculture production, based on unofficial data by the Perak Agriculture Department up to Oct 30, with vegetable commodities recording only 61,051 tonnes compared with 117,003 tonnes last year and fruits recording 61,209 tonnes, down from 111,885 tonnes last year.

He attributed the drop in the production to issues with harvesting and marketing, especially during the movement control order. – Bernama, November 19, 2020