KUALA LUMPUR: Returning students whose parents are in the B40 group will get certain exemptions related to quarantine stations (QS), Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Special Functions) Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Yusof (pix) told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said the government will bear the cost of QS for the B40 students and people with disability while the rest have to pay RM150 per day.
He said the government is trying not to make any additional spending where possible but it will give priority to helping those in need.
“Private students whose parents are with high incomes have to pay. The foreign ministry will get the relevant information so the government gets to help the targeted groups such as those in the B40,” he said in response to a supplementary question by Steven Sim (DAP-Bukit Mertajam).
Sim had asked the government to provide exemptions to the B40, people with disabilities and students who need to stay at a quarantine station (QS) when returning from overseas.
Fahmi Fadzil (PKR-Lembah Pantai) had asked about a viral report which claimed a QS had failed to provide a clean hotel room and meals on time.
Redzuan said such allegations need to be investigated.
“If it’s true, we will ensure it won’t happen again and make improvements where needed.
“The hotels we choose have to fulfil certain criteria.
“On the viral report, we will investigate whether the pictures came from a gazetted QS,” he said.
To a supplementary question by Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PAS-Pasir Mas) who asked if a viral report claiming 100 students returning from Yemen were told to pay RM1,890 per person or wait in the hotel lobby until their parents arrived with the payment is true, Mohd Redzuan said the problem involving the students had been resolved.
He said it involved 148 students from Yemen and they have all been stationed at the QS.
“It took them a while to get into their respective rooms because they needed time to pay their deposits,” he said.
