A TOTAL OF 343,412 IN SABAH RECEIVED COVID-19 AID, AS OF FRIDAY

KOTA KINABALU: A total of 343,412 people in Sabah received COVID-19 aid as of last Friday, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

 He said the aid amounted to  RM65,241,900 and the recipients comprised those from the B40 group, hawkers and petty traders, COVID-19 patients, frontliners and vulnerable persons.

“The aid is on-going and will hopefully lighten their burden,” Mohd Shafie said at the Sabah state assembly sitting here today.

He was replying to a question from Datuk Dr. Joachim Gunsalam (PBS-Kundasang) on the kind of aid which the state government has given, is giving and will be giving the people of Sabah who have been badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic following the imposition of the Movement Control Order (MCO).

Mohd Shafie said the government will also be giving a one-off financial payment of RM500 to 22,456 heads of poor households and 15,747 heads of hardcore poor families who are registered with the e-Kasih system.

“The government is aware that the poor and hardcore poor are among those who really need help, especially when faced with the current situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohd Shafie said, the state government also received financial and equipment aid from the non-governmental organisations, state statutory bodies and the private sector to help it tackle COVID-19.

“To date, the amount of financial aid received is RM11,380,000. This has been banked into the State Disaster Relief Management Committee Fund.

“The state government will ensure that this contribution is used specifically for matters relating to COVID-19 in the state. For contributions in the form of personal protective equipment (PPE), these have been and are being distributed to hospitals, clinics and frontline agencies,” he said.

— BERNAMA