KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — In this time of Covid-19, “quarantine” is a word you hear bandied about frequently. For those of us who are Malaysians returning from abroad, this means a mandatory 14-day quarantine period.
Some are naturally afraid, perhaps initially due to the uncertainty of quarantine conditions. Images of makeshift camp beds in large halls are conjured up, perhaps thanks to one too many viewings of Steven Soderbergh’s eerily prognostic 2011 thriller Contagion.
So a few stranded Malaysians have chosen to wait it out, to shelter in place wherever they find themselves.
It’s understandable. It’s one less variable during this pandemic they won’t have to deal with… yet. (They will have to face reality sooner or later though; likely the former.)
For the rest of us, there isn’t much of a choice really: money has run out, family back home, urgent medical needs.
We have to come home, fearful as we were, fearful as we are still.
Pema Chödrön assures us, in her book When Things Fall Apart, that “It’s not a terrible thing that we feel fear when faced with the unknown. It’s part of being alive, something we all share.”
Deciding to come home, many of us soon realise, was the easy part. Finding a way home would prove far more challenging with cancelled flights and transit countries closing their borders as part of the wider global travel disruption.
In this — at least for those of us stranded in New Zealand — we have been fortunate. The High Commission of Malaysia (HCM) in Wellington, led by Nur Izzah Wong Mee Choo, had been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure we were all doing well and could get on a flight back home.
Volunteer organisations such as the New Zealand Malaysia Business Association (NZMBA) helped pair those in need of accommodation during the lockdown with those who could provide them.
NZMBA Secretary Pam Louis, who herself was stranded in Petaling Jaya while visiting her parents, spent hours on the Malaysia Airlines hotline to help many of us get rebooked when our flights were cancelled yet again.
The good folks at HCM and NZMBA were the adults in the room while we were frantic and unsure of what to do next. We are a part of their community now.
Finally it was the day of our MH144 flight back to Kuala Lumpur. The Auckland Airport was mostly empty other than other passengers queueing to check in and the various security personnel.
Even after clearing immigration and security, the airport was a bit of a ghost town. Not surprising given the Level 4 lockdown; only essential services and businesses are allowed to operate.
The only shop open was the airport pharmacy for any last-minute purchases: antiseptic wipes, disinfectant sprays, over-the-counter medicine. But no face masks. No gloves.
Everyone sat as far as possible from each other in the open area. The closed food shops were a depressing sight but at least we were going home soon.
Of course I watched Contagion during the flight. Nearly everybody did. (Who can resist a little bit of masochism?)
When we landed at KLIA, you could hear everyone sigh in audible relief. Back to tanahair, finally.
Walking past the thermal scanner to check our temperatures, we realised what a comforting sight this was. It said to us, “Welcome home and stay safe.”
Then it was a flurry of activity as we were processed: Firstly health officials from the Ministry of Health (MOH) asked for our health declaration forms and went through the list of possible symptoms with us.
We were then given a self-assessment form for daily monitoring of symptoms. Next an officer gave us another form for our personal information and contact details.
Nothing like the canned sardines situation we had feared. Some of us had read horrifying reports of border officials at the Sydney airport herding passengers into cramped halls to wait.
Thankfully social distancing was the rigorously administered protocol here. Even while waiting to be led to our buses, everyone had an extra space taped with an X between us.
Next we got our luggage from the baggage claim area, then we were led to the arrival hall outside. We were grouped in three separate groups, taking our turns to board the waiting RapidKL buses.
What stood out above everything else was how unfailingly polite and warm everyone was — the health officials, the police, all the frontliners who put their health and lives at stake to help us feel welcomed home. In fact, it’s hard not to feel like an imposition to them.
Yes, this was a mandatory quarantine exercise. But there was a lot of heart in it.
Just take the boarding process: Before we could enter the bus, our luggage was disinfected by one officer while another helped us carry the heavier items without even asking.
We weren’t herded like those poor souls in Sydney; we were helped.
Perhaps the pandemic will change how we all behave towards one another, softening our words and actions. Making us better people.
After everyone had boarded safely and a quick briefing later, we were finally on our way. Yes, it did take a while. This wasn’t Fast and Furious; more Slow and Scrupulous. Unhurried, exacting and methodical for everyone’s safety: theirs and ours.
Every detail is thrilling — the familiar highway, the billboards we recognise — and points to a place we call home. How moving, especially after weeks of being stranded in Auckland.
A few were simply excited by the fact we had a police escort leading the way — how many of us can say they’ve had the same experience?
When we reached our quarantine centre — Ibis KLCC, and not a Contagion-style stadium — we continued to get processed.
Registration with our passport, a few questions, and then we were given our room access cards and a packed meal for supper. Very thoughtful. Bear in mind we were all still queueing at least a metre away from each other the entire time.
A final message before we left the registration table: Stay safe and please remain in your own individual rooms at all times.
One by one, each of us entered our own rooms. Our four walls for the next 14 days. A comfortable bed, a clean bathroom, a window to the world outside. What more could we ask for?
And thus our life under quarantine began.
For a complete and updated list of ‘Stranded in Auckland’ and ‘Life Under Quarantine’ stories, visit http://lifeforbeginners.com/stranded/.
