KUALA LUMPUR: The government has decided to reactivate the Covid-19 Quarantine and Low Risk Treatment Centre (PKRC) at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park (MAEPS) in Serdang today following a spike in positive cases.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the decision was also made due to the implementation of the Social Security Organisation (Socso) programme to screen foreign workers.
Dubbed as MAEPS PKRC 2.0, Ismail Sabri said the centre had bed capacity of about 10,000, which would only cater to Covid-19 positive foreign patients.
"The scope of operations this time will involve Category 1 patients who have no symptoms and Category 2 patients who have minor symptoms.
"The activation of MAEPS PKRC 2.0 will also see the relocation of foreign Covid-19 patients from the Health Ministry Training Centre in Sungai Buloh to MAEPS," he said in a press conference today.
Ismail Sabri also said the reactivation of MAEPS PKRC 2.0 was carried out based on three phases.
The first phase, he said, would involve 3,000 beds followed by 3,300 beds in Phase 2 and 3,700 beds in Phase 3.
"As MAEPS PKRC 2.0 will house large number of foreigners, the Armed Forces and the police will beef up security there," he said.
He said MAEPS PRKC first opened its door on April 16 and closed on July 15 after successfully treated 1,362 Covid-19 patients where 86 per cent were foreigners and the rest were locals.
Meanwhile, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said a total of 650 beds at the MAEPS centre would be opened today.