THE Recovery Movement Control Order has just been extended to December 31 2020. As expected by many other Malaysians, this extension is going to set us on a course that will change (if it hasn’t already) our lives forever.
Everything we do has changed to a large extent. Now no one frets about having to bring out their smartphone to scan the QR Code for MySejahtera or Selangkah whenever we wish to enter a shop or a shopping mall. Most of us have got used to wearing face masks when we leave home; no longer complaining about how uncomfortable it is to wear one in the heat of the day.
Our borders continue to be closed. It means we cannot travel anywhere except domestically. Many of us have adapted ourselves to travelling within the country whenever we need a short break or holiday. I must admit this saves a lot of money because travelling domestically is definitely a lot less costly than going abroad.
After months of having to comply with strict SOPs in the early days, I must admit I have regained some sense of normalcy in my life. I am more mindful of crowds; I prefer to frequent eateries which have better hygiene and I think I have gotten used to washing my hands more often than I used to.
The new normal has ironically made me notice that people I know (including yours truly) have become a bit bulkier than they used to be. I suppose this is one of the less talked about side-effect of staying more at home and having three square meals regularly compared to pre-MCO when meals were irregular and there was more running around to do.
Have you noticed that it’s been 6 months since the whole country shut down to curb the Covid-19 pandemic? Time has surely passed by us that fast that we have probably not noticed that we are in the last four months of 2020. With so much happening around us over the last 6 months, it is no surprise.
All said and done, I have noticed that many in Subang Jaya continue to disregard the need to practice physical distancing when in public places. At the Sunday Farmer’s Market in USJ10, many residents continue to barge their way in to pick their items with total disregard for others. I noticed one lady literally pushing her way in between two other customers leaving just an inch or two between her and those beside her.
At some of the commercial markets, an elderly lady probably in her 70s walked right in to the store to buy her dried stuff, with NO MASK ON! On another occasion, a middle aged lady opened up a box of kiwi fruits and started pressing the fruits one by one with her bare hands. Squeezing fruits is a No No and all the more when her hands are exposed. When we criticized her for her behaviour she got annoyed and just walked away.
Normalcy in the new normal obviously has its ups and downs. It however takes people like us who value our lives to point out to the “tidak apa” people that their irresponsible behaviour could affect others as well.
We have just celebrated Merdeka Day and we are just two weeks away to Malaysia Day on September 16. It is timely for us to gaze back at our lives as Malaysians and how we want our lives to be in the new normal. Life has just become so volatile and fragile with the Covid-19 pandemic with more than 800,000 people becoming a statistic globally.
How shall you regain some normalcy in your life and recover what was lost in the last 6 months.
Happy September everyone and HAPPY MALAYSIA DAY!
