The story of the pandemic where the army went down and stood guard in Malaysia for public. Part # 1 Arun Mathew Malaysia
Covid 19 confirmed in Malaysia for the first time by the end of January 2020. The majority of people, including me were have mindset of ignoring this as a silly matter as it was just a fever at some corner of Malaysia. Work and other things went on as usual. It was at that time, to be precise, that in the first days of February, after work, I suddenly felt exhausted along with fever. With the symptoms and fever, I almost confirmed that Kovid affected me too. Since our son was at home, it was time to count the days to go to his side. It was a time when I was as depressed as every expat. Went to the flat and rested and then went to the hospital. But after examining by the doctor he said, "Nothing to be afraid, this is a normal viral infection. The words which most of the common people waiting to hear from doctor which is far effective than any medicine" I use to read news from genuine sources from the very beginning and as I got pretty much knowledge from friends and siblings in the medical field regarding the virus, I began to pay more attention while going office.
I decided and started to implement a new way of living by not touching anywhere while going out or even to office. Without touching anywhere on the bus, metro train (LRT) I to move around. Even I stop touching my own face. In case I touch somewhere like elevator or door, I will hold the hand separate from my body until I wash it properly (Looks strange but it's a fact). When I go office wearing a mask, many people ask, "Do you need all this?" And the cliché dialogues of all time "We cannot stop our fate". After hearing that for a while, I also started to feel that I did not need any of this. This is because at the time, only 10–20% of people using public transportation wore masks. By the end of February, Kovid 19 cases reduce to 1-2 a day. With that, I did not give up cleanliness and attention, but gave up all fear of getting sick and resumed my old way of life. But it was not long before news broke which changed life of entire Malaysians. From February 27 to March 1, a public event was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with people from Brunei, Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia. One of the returnees was found to be positive in Brunei and the news spread that many people in Malaysia had contracted the disease. In just 1–2 days, everything seemed to turn upside down. The event was attended by around 16,000 people, including about 1,500 foreigners. With the number of cases reported on March 13,14,15 as 35,41,190, the rumors started to spread around that the country is going to lockdown, with everyone having to buy and keep household items for 3 months. Soon after, people rushed to the shops. On the same day, the doctors' association, among others, put forward a proposal for a lockdown. On the night of March 16, at 10 a.m. Malaysian time, the Prime Minister called for a Moment Control Order or travel restriction from March 18 to March 31. Malaysia government didn't give the name Lockdown because people are already afraid by seeing the news in China. It is also a fact that it has made a huge difference. It was not allowed to work on anything except essentials and services.
However, more than 100 cases have been reported since March 15 and 100–200 cases have been reported every day to date. Over 200 in 3 days. Therefore, the MCO has extended March 31 deadline to April 14. The military stepped in to help the police. It has become a a first time experience of seeing entire Malaysians are not allowed to go out of their own house. Only one person allowed to go out of a house to buy household items. If you want to go beyond 10km, you have to get a police permit. With the arrival of the MCO, the border to Singapore closed. As a result, thousands were stranded there, unable to return home. Being with children without parents in many homes also causes mental distress for many. Those who go jogging are fined and those who go out for no apparent reason are punishable by imprisonment. So the Malaysian government took every step to keep literally everyone at home. That led to control virus successfully till date. The fact that new cases are being cured every day and 60–122 people are being cured every day is the result of the efforts of those leading in Malaysia. At the same time, the financial package brought by the government brought a lot of relief to the people. The government has decided to extend the MCO until April 10, when the total number of patients is expected to reach 5,000-6,000 by mid-April and the government has indicated that all programs will be restricted for the next six months. Although many Keralites are still trapped in Malaysia, all Malaysian Malayalee organizations are with them with a lot of care. This is just one example of a young man who came to the video crying and asked for help, getting the help he needed within hours. Everything will be fine soon and everyone is hoping that those who want to go home can do it. As of April 5 - 3622 cases have been reported so far, of which 1005 have been cured and 61 lives have been lost so far. I want not only Malaysia and India but the whole world to be able to get rid of the corona without losing countless lives. The story continues...📝
Comments