Dear diary,
Today’s the second day of the movement control order in Malaysia.
It was put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19, which has claimed two lives in the country.
Sadly, many Malaysians are stubborn or stupid or a combination of both. This led to Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin ‘advising us something’ last night: “Just stay at home”.
He said it five times in his televised speech. Sadly, some still don’t get it.
Here’s how Day 2 has unfolded.
7.55am: Talk about irony. A friend messaged to say there is a patron saint of plagues and pandemics. Guess the name … yes, it’s Saint Corona!
8.44am: The failings of the government to get the message across is still clear.
Keadaan pasar pagi di taman kaya taiping hari ini. pic.twitter.com/cHXsrM6Bd5
— Perak Press (@PerakPress) March 19, 2020
Then again, traders need to sell their wares or they may not have food on their tables.
9.05am: Breakfast is homemade bread rolls and iced chocolate. Perks of working from home!
9.25am: For those who don’t want to watch HBO or haven’t subscribed to Astro, here’s a list of ‘A dystopian reading list: books to enjoy while in quarantine’.
10am: A friend shared a photo of ‘working from home’. I reckon there will be similar scenes around the country. Hopefully, the Internet connection doesn’t go on a ‘lockdown!’
11am: Health Ministry releases the latest world-wide figures. Scary. Please stay safe.
Noon: Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob says only 60-70 per cent of Malaysians are following the movement control order. He warns soldiers may be deployed if the idiots (my word, not his) continue flaunting the order. By the way, someone could have told him to adjust his collar properly.
Ismail also speaks out against fake news.
A friend, Arnaz A. Khairul, posted something similar on Facebook: “One thing that never changes in times of crisis – your WhatsApp gets flooded by multiple copies of same chain messages, pictures, videos sent to you by everyone!”
12.20pm: Block friends who insist on sharing unverified news or who blame one religion for the rise in the cases in Malaysia. Hello, coronavirus doesn’t know colour or religion.
12.35pm: Reports of a passenger who travelled from Johor Baru has tested positive for Covid-19 surface. This could mean the whole busload of passengers may be infected, plus all those in close contact at the bus station. If only we had a doctor running the country. He may have issued orders to forbid people travelling. I wonder where we can find such a person.
1pm: Arrrrggggh, I need food!
1.45pm: Just read the best news of the day – Medical supplies from China to assist the country cope with the Covid-19 pandemic have arrived.
2.20pm: Malaysian Bar president Salim Bashir says the government should impose a moratorium on undocumented migrants and foreigners during the movement restriction order period by not arresting them.
2.50pm: More idiots on the loose. Local tourists visited a beach in Kuala Terengganu while a friend saw a posting on Facebook about a family having a ‘picnic’ outside Taman Tasik Titiwangsa as the park was closed! Tried to search for it but did not see any news articles.
3.37pm: Malaysian authorities scrambling to track about 2,000 Rohingya men who attended a religious gathering that has led to a big spike in Covid-19 cases across Southeast Asia. Be worried, be very worried folks.
4pm: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba says 110 new Covid-19 cases recorded today, bringing the total cases to 900.
4.45pm: A friend who is involved with feeding the homeless says she does not know if soup kitchens can continue their service. This follows Kechara Soup Kitchen saying it is not certain if it is allowed to operate. Its project director Justin Cheah was quoted by a local daily as saying the information is insufficient and guidelines are not specific enough.
5pm: Giant Malaysia to implement 1m ruling at its store soon.
So I contacted Giant Supermarket on FB to ask about them enforcing or at least reminding shoppers about the 1 meter distance rule, I must say Giant replied within the hour and are in the middle of getting this done. I hope for the same SOP from all hyper markets in Malaysia. pic.twitter.com/YHMKbDFFWz
— Kudsia Kahar, Malaysian First (@Kudsia_Kahar) March 19, 2020
That’s all for now. Let’s hope the idiots are not around anymore tomorrow.