The government of Sabah has paid RM300 for 231 Kinabalu mountain guides affected by the Movement Control Order (MCO). Sabah Tourism Minister Datuk Christina Liew declared that the amount had been deposited into their respective bank accounts.

The payments of the additional 82 mountain guides and porters in Kinabalu are processed and the money is to be paid within a day or two.

"The Sabah Parks Board, as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, will disburse the remaining 102 Kinnabalu Mountain Guides without a bank account," she said  in a statement.

Liew, who is also Deputy Minister Chief, said that on Thursday, 1,038 freelance tourist guides had also received a direct payment from Sabah Tourism Board (STB) through their respective bank accounts.

She said that Sabah Rural Development Ministry has allocated RM311.400 for this reason.

The money would later be transferred to STB to refund the fees of the tourist guides involved.