RIYADH — The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) reiterated its decision that recruitment offices shall bear the cost of institutional quarantine for domestic workers for whom contracts were executed before the announcement regarding the introduction of a seven-day institutional quarantine. The ministry spokesman clarified this in a statement issued on Monday, in reaction to reports about the gathering of a number of owners and officials of recruitment offices in front of the ministry building to lodge their objection over the ministry’s decision with regard to institutional quarantine expenses. The recruitment office owners were of the view that domestic workers should bear institutional quarantine expenses as the agreements had been concluded before the announcement regarding the quarantine. The ministry noted that their demand does not comply with the provisions of the recruitment contracts concluded between the two parties. According to the statement, the ministry explained to owners of recruitment offices during their previous meetings and in their previous gathering in front of the ministry, about the rationale for the decision, the legal opinion, and the administrative measures taken by the ministry in extending the contracts so that they can fulfill their obligations toward the recruiting clients. The ministry affirmed that it seeks, through its decisions, to do what serves the public interest and it always coordinates with the concerned authorities and different sectors before taking any decision.