Malaysia praised for COVID-19 actions
American professor praises Malaysia for how we’re dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak
Image adapted from: @neuroplebeian and Amber Lee
We can’t imagine Malaysia being an ideal destination for tourists at this time, especially with the ongoing Movement Control Order (MCO) that requires all residents to stay at home. However, an American professor who goes by the name of Jason Hassenstab had just recently returned from an untimely trip to Malaysia.
During his time here, he got first-hand experience as to how Malaysia was dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon his return to the states, he wrote a lengthy Twitter thread to document his experience and compared our nation’s response to the outbreak to that ofother countries.
Malaysia’s excellent way of dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak
Hassenstab first explained that he had visited 4 cities during his stay in Malaysia and these were Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Lahad Datu, and Sandakan. After touring these places, he could confidently say that Malaysia’s COVID-19 enforcement was evident even in hard to reach locations like remote rainforests in Sabah.
He continued to list out a few examples to demonstrate how Malaysia is effectively fighting against the COVID-19 outbreak.
Daily text messages
One of these was on how local mobile service providers would send out daily text messages about social distancing and tips on how to keep yourself safe from contracting COVID-19.
Image adapted from: Amber Lee
Sending helpful reminders and announcements directly to our phones greatly benefits the elderly or any members of the community who may not have access to the internet or TV.
Safety measures at airports
Hassenstab’s 2nd example was on how the security guards at KLIA were enforcing social distancing on travellers. Information banners with written and visual guidance that were printed by the Ministry of Health could also be seen around the airport. Plus, every other seat in the airport was also taped marked to encourage social distancing.
Image credit: @neuroplebeian
He also noted that every KLIA employee was wearing masks and that bottles of hand sanitiser could be found at every counter.
In comparison, Hassenstab pointed out that the U.S.A. would need to work on their enforcement methods as people there do not seem to understand the grave situation at hand. He said that most airport employees in Atlanta were not wearing masks or gloves even when dealing with luggage and conducting body checks. Shops and businesses were still operating as usual with customers not adhering to the advised social distancing rule.
As of right now, the U.S.A. has over 35,000 COVID-19 cases.
Praises for the Malaysian government
Jason Hassenstab at the Lahad Datu airport in Sabah
Image credit: @neuroplebeian
Hassenstab ended his Twitter thread with a message that urged the U.S.A. to follow the safety measures that we have taken over here.
We can’t help but feel proud after being praised by outsiders like Hassenstab. It also goes to show that the government’s efforts are seen and acknowledged, even by visiting tourists. As long as Malaysians can keep up the good work and #DudukRumahDiamDiam, it’ll only be a matter of time until we can freely roam the streets once more.
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