COVID-19 in Malaysia
COVID-19, a novel coronavirus disease found in 2019 that infects the respiratory tract, conceived to have originated as a zoonotic virus that has mutated or otherwise adapted in ways that allow human pathogenicity (1). The virus outbreak began in China but has spread intercontinental, and the WHO officially declared the virus to be a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Most of the countries affected by the virus implemented lockdown promptly, and in Malaysia, Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 and the Police Act 1967(2). Malaysians experience many obstacles during this MCO period, such as mental health, financial difficulties, but contrarily, the lockdown has positively caused social media popularity serving good life.
In Malaysia, the lockdown period has affected psychological well-being of countless individuals. Most of us presumed the lockdown as an extended holiday at home, while many Malaysians were stranded alone in foreign countries. As an example, Malaysians working in Singapore could not return home since the borders remain closed. Relatives endure mental disturbance as it has been nearly half a year since the lockdown started and has not met their loved ones. Personally, a friend of mine went through depression during the lockdown as he has not met his family as they are working in Singapore and could not return home. In another scenario, psychologically disturbed individuals face difficulties with ineffectual help during the lockdown. Although online sessions were provided, it was not as effective as a face-to-face session because these patients could not seek physical supervision from their therapist. Furthermore, as COVID-19 continues to spread globally, and the Movement Control Order (MCO) has repeatedly been prolonged, many have acquired fear and anxiety for the virus. Lack of medical attention may lead to the development of nosophobia, which refers to an irrational fear of having a specific disease(3). Therefore, this shows during the lockdown, Malaysians mental health is significantly harmed.
Additionally, Malaysians are facing economic crises during the Pandemic lockdown. In light of the MCO extension and the legal requirement to pay employees’ salaries, employers have retrenched employees to keep their businesses afloat. Over 50,000 employees lost their job as of July 2020, stated by Radzi (4). On the first day of Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), long lines outside pawnshops on 4th May and a few days later reflect that many families are experiencing financial challenges during the lockdown (5). Retrenched workers would face hardship in finding another job of similar status. More often than not, the labor market would be overwhelmed with other job seekers with similar professions and work experience. The unwaged individuals also encounter difficulties in supporting life, considering many additional expenses during the pandemic lockdown, such as hand sanitizers, face mask, glove, and hygiene wash to curb the virus. Hence, Malaysians face financial struggles during the lockdown.
As the saying goes, even the dead clock shows the correct time twice a day, symbolizing every bad situation will have a good time.
In this lockdown, many Malaysians ventured into the online platform during COVID-19 lockdown as the nation is using the internet to stay connected. Sugu Pavithra is 29 years old married woman living in the suburbs of Ipoh. She became YouTube sensation during the lockdown with 850,000 subscribers and more than 23 million views for her 80 over cooking videos. Sugu shared her cooking recipes with her eloquent and fluent Bahasa Malaysia language, capturing broader Malaysians and overseas followers. Through the support given by the online population, Sugu gained many positive changes in life in a brief period. Firstly, her YouTube channel became the primary source of income for her family, where her husband left his fixed income job to focus on the YouTube channel entirely. Moreover, Sugu awarded the Ipoh city icon title, which the title was formerly given to actress Michelle Yeoh and received a gift from Prime Minister to assist in their channels such as a camera tripod, a microwave oven, a rice cooker, and cooking utensils (6). Therefore, Sugu set an example that even during the challenging period, there is a positive effect of the lockdown.
In conclusion, We cannot deny that the COVID-19 lockdown has brought many negative impacts such as affecting mental health of staying apart from home and financial state due to absence of businesses in the community, yet there is also a good side of the lockdown seen in Sugu Pavithra’s advancement from an ordinary resident of an estate to an icon of Ipoh city. Looking at the bright side of every circumstance reduces the obstacles but encourages us to move forward.