EXCLUSIVE REPORT: THE JOURNEY BACK HOME TO MALAYSIA

The Welfare Taskforce for Malaysian Students Abroad is happy to share with everyone the experience of a student that recently returned to Malaysia and is currently undergoing the mandatory 14- day quarantine as part of the second phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO).  

“ Initially, I was very afraid and hesitant on whether to proceed on my trip to return home to Malaysia. This is especially so after receiving news on social media regarding the terrible state of quarantine centres in Sabah. The reason I am writing this is to share with everyone my experience and hopefully alleviate some fears and concerns of students and parents. Do note however that this is just my experience and the procedure might differ from student to student. 

I boarded the direct flight from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur. Once on board, it was a genuine feeling of returning to a sense of familiarity. It was heart-warming to meet fellow Malaysian students who were on the same boat and experiencing the same level of fear of anxiety. Honesty speaking, the travel back home was one of the most scary things that I experienced, but it turned out maybe I was just scaring myself. Of course, it didn’t help seeing some people wrapping themselves up with plastic from head to toe. Being a kiasu Malaysian myself, I started to wipe the surface of basically on board with my surface wipes – the screen, the window, the seats etc, nothing was left out. The cabin crew on board was beyond hospitable, they understood the position we were in and talked to us so that we were more at ease.  

The flight wasn’t filled to maximum capacity, I had the seats next to me empty. When I checked in online, it seems that the places were taken. I think there were some that booked the flight but decided not to fly because they were afraid of being quarantined by the authorities. When we were on board, we were also provided with a health declaration form to be completed. Overall, the flight home was a pleasant one, minus being uncomfortable because of the need to wear a mask throughout the whole flight and constantly sanitising just to be on the safe side.  

I arrived at Kuala Lumpur at approximately 6am in the morning (local time). Once we landed, we were directed towards an area where there was thermal screening. There was a long line as the authorities had to do it one by one. The entire process from landing to going to the hotel was filled with a lot of uncertainty as no proper instructions were given prior and we didn’t know what to expect next, nor where we were going, so we basically just followed the crowd and ‘waited to see’.  

The screening was nothing to worry about, it basically took less than 20 seconds per person. After that, we were taken to an area where our Health Declaration Forms are checked. There were tables with what it seems to be doctors and personnel where we were asked questions such as whether you have a cough or flu. 

If your answers to those are ‘no’, you will then be provided with a Home Quarantine Assessment Tool and that’s about it. However, what I want to say to fellow students is if you have any symptoms, please do ensure that you be as frank as possible to the authorities. 

Afterall, we are on this fight against COVID-19 together, and it is our responsibility to be honest.  

The next thing was immigration. Passports were checked and we were escorted to the area where we waited for our turn to get on the bus. The wait was rather long as there can only be about 24 people per bus and we had to wait for each batch to collect their luggage and get on the bus. If I am not mistaken, those from Sabah and Sarawak were called so that they can proceed with their transit. I met people from Penang and they had to be quarantined in KL as well. While we were waiting, we also had to fill a form provided by NADMA Malaysia to track who was quarantine where.

When it was our turn to get on the bus , your bags will be sanitised. Although there will be a controlled number of people per bus, if you are the last few per bus, you still had to sit next to people. We were taken to the hotel using police escort. 

On the bus, there was also a short briefing welcoming everyone back and asking everyone for forgiveness if there were any shortcomings. It is obvious that the authorities were doing their very best and I am very grateful to every single one of them. 

We were lucky to be allocated to PJ Hilton and the place was beyond comfortable. The authorities made sure that they process the check in per bus. That means we just had to wait on the bus until it was our turn to check in and not crowd at the lobby. Staff ready at the hotel was very hospitable and arranged our luggage for us as well. By the time we checked in and settled in my room, it was 10am. During our stay, we were provided supplies of bottled water, shampoo, shower gel, towels, fresh bedlinen and garbage bags. Packed meal was also provided at 7am, 12.30pm and 7pm. There is also an option for us to order via an in-room menu. However, that was at our own expense and we can only order it for meal times, that means no late night Malaysian supper for those who are wondering.  

I am beyond grateful to everyone that made this quarantine process such a smooth and pleasant one.  The authorities, staff and everyone that had to work round the clock to ensure we had a comfortable stay – Terima Kasih, we appreciate every single one of you. 

And to those that are worrying about the rumours surrounding the bad conditions of the quarantine centres like I was, I would say there is nothing to worry about, the place was clean, comfortable and very pleasant. Now all I can hope for is for every single one of us to complete our 14 days quarantine successfully without being tested positive. Pray for us!”

NOTE: The above article is the author’s own view and is not representative of the position of Welfare Taskforce. If you have any questions, do feel free to comment below and we will try our best to answer them.