PETALING JAYA, March 18 — The Restriction of Movement Order is now in effect and with it, many Malaysians have been given paid leave or asked to work from home during this period.
Not everyone can enjoy working from the comfort of their home for the next two weeks however, as some jobs under the essential services category still require employees to punch-in.
Jealous of the assumed convenience of others, some cheeky Malaysians have tried their luck to get out of having to go to work.
Facebook user Amirul Azhar described one such case in his post yesterday, as he lamented his frustration with the youth’s lack of seriousness amid the current Covid-19 pandemic.
Amirul, who works in a clinic in a small town in Kelantan, explained in his post how one young man caused a panic in the town when he came into the clinic sick and said he has a friend who contracted the Covid-19 virus — just to get a medical certificate (MC) for a day off.
“This patient came into the clinic with a cough. At the counter, he explained that he didn’t travel, know any Covid-19 patients or attend any religious ceremonies,” said Amirul.
“So, he came in and waited for his turn like normal. But when he met the doctor and told him what his symptoms were, the doctor said he need not worry because he doesn’t know any Covid-19 patients.
“But suddenly, he said ‘I do know one, my friend is Covid positive.’”
Hearing the youngster say that alarmed all the doctors and nurses in the room, leading them to quickly move the youth into the isolation room.
It just so happens that Amirul was on duty at the isolation room yesterday and received calls from the nurses to get the room ready.
“I was on duty to look after patients in isolation. When they called me, I had just finished praying and asked them to tell the patient to wait there while I put on the personal protective equipment (PPE),” said Amirul.
“It’s really difficult to put on the gear to cover from head to toe. But when I was done, I went to the isolation room and the patient wasn’t there!”
He added that he and the nurses then went on a wild goose chase around the clinic, looking for him, thinking that he might have just gone to the loo or stepped out to buy a drink.
After nearly half an hour of searching, Amirul still couldn’t find the youth anywhere and began to worry about the well-being of others in the town, with a possible Covid-19 carrier on the loose.
“For half an hour I searched around like an idiot for that patient. I got fed up and took off the PPE, then proceeded to inform my senior that a Covid positive patient had run away,” said Amirul.
“But we had to find this kid. If he does have the virus, he could put the whole town at risk. So we called the village head and asked for help to locate the patient.”
The village head then came down to the clinic to assist with the search and right before the clinic was about to close, the patient returned.
“About five minutes before we were about to close, that kid came back grinning with his father,” said Amirul.
“Everyone in the clinic was pissed off. I had to go put on the PPE again well into my overtime — wearing it takes 15 minutes at least. I was so angry but I had to hold it in.
“I asked him where he went just now and he said that he went to pick up his sibling from school. But there’s no school now.”
Realising that the youth was pulling the wool over his eyes, Amirul interrogated him further which prompted him to finally tell the truth.
“After asking him so many questions he said: ‘Actually doctor. I just want to ask for an MC. I don’t have any friends who are positive with Covid-19.
“I want an MC for after tomorrow because my leave is only until tomorrow. It’ll be really tiring to go back to KL and immediately work,'” said Amirul.
Amirul said he was filled with rage as he struggled to resist his urge to punch the youth, but controlled himself and ended up giving him a good talking to in front of his father instead.
“I immediately put my pen down. My hands were shaking with the feeling of punching that kid. I scolded him immensely in front of his father. Burdening others, wasting their time and two precious PPEs,” said Amirul.
He wasn’t the only one who was irritated with the youth’s hoodwinks either as many social media users have reacted to his post, garnering over 24 thousand reactions with over 16 thousand shares.
Many users were furious with the fact that the youth could still mess around in times like these, while others wished that the Amirul had given him a more “stern” talking to.
“Kids nowadays have no integrity. That’s why they can play around with serious matters like this. If I was his mom, I would twist his ears so hard he can’t even imagine the pain,” wrote one user.
“Don’t they pity the doctors? How could he do that to them?” said another.
The Restriction of Movement Order isin effect from today until March 31, as Malaysians have been advised to practice social-distancing, stay at home and not go out except for essential needs.
