Chief secretary to the government Mohd Zuki Ali said this is to ensure prisoners and detainees are able to practise physical distancing and to curb Covid-19 spreading in prisons and depot centres.

In a statement, he said only detainees convicted for minor offences will be moved to these temporary centres, which will be rented by the police, immigration and prison authorities.

“The home ministry will work with security agencies, such as the army, police and Rela for temporary deployment,” he said, adding that available and suitable facilities will be optimised to avoid the high financial costs that would come with setting up new centres.

Zuki also said certain government buildings and facilities across the country will be used by the health ministry to conduct swab tests, as part of efforts to mobilise Putrajaya’s resources to combat the pandemic.

Some civil servants will also be temporarily relocated to locations that require additional services, particularly for health and security reasons.

“The Public Service Department will be responsible for coordinating this with the health ministry as well as other ministries, departments and agencies involved,” he said.

Zuki also said the health and finance ministries, Bank Negara Malaysia and the insurance industry are studying the insurance mechanism to cover the treatment costs of Covid-19 patients in private hospitals.

“For now, the private sector will only treat Covid-19 patients who are able to fund the cost of their medication and treatment themselves,” he said.