KUALA LUMPUR: MALAYSIANS who returned from abroad have expressed their gratitude to healthcare officials and civil servants for taking good care of them during their quarantine period due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Norul Ridzuan Zakaria, who is 10 days into his 14-day quarantine at the Higher Education Leadership Academy (Akept) in Bandar Enstek, Nilai, said the officials were taking good care of him and his family.
Norul and his family arrived in Malaysia from Italy and were placed under quarantine following guidelines issued by the Health Ministry and the National Security Council.
The family of four arrived from Torino in Piemonte, northern Italy, where Norul works as a design engineer.
“We are fine with the quarantine as the Akept hostel is quite comfortable,” said Norul.
“We were given two rooms since there are four of us.
“We actually felt better when we were told that we will be quarantined as it is for our own good.
“Our family members were initially worried when we were in Italy as the place we stayed was one of the red zones.
“There is Wi-fi here and our family members are in contact with us and are able to get updates from us daily.”
Norul said he and his family are given green hospital garments and meals three times per day.
The quarantine centre even disinfected their luggage and belongings, said Norul.
He said their clothes and shoes worn when they arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) were taken for laundry and disinfection.
Norul was also grateful that Wi-fi services were available at the quarantine centre as his children could attend online classes from their schools in Italy.
“Our 10-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter are doing fine as Wi-fi is provided.”
Norul added that there were regular medical check-ups every two days in the morning.
“So far, everyone is free of the virus. The check-up is done by Health Ministry medical officers, who visit our room in full Personal Protective Equipment and other medical tools.”
Norul said a WhatsApp group was set up for those placed at the quarantine centre to submit specific requests.
“For example, my son always has rice with soup. That request was fulfilled thanks to the Whats-App group.”
Norul and his family will head for their home in Changkat Jering, Taiping, once their quarantine period is over.
“We would like to thank the government, particularly the Foreign Ministry and the Malaysian embassy in Rome, as well as the Health Ministry, which were involved in the evacuation flight from Rome, assisted by the Fire and Rescue Department when we arrived at KLIA.
“They all have been dedicated and worked very well with each other. And, of course, we wish to thank our foreign minister for his announcement, which became the official greenlight for our evacuation from Italy.”
Medical student Pavitha Muhan, who is placed at Institut Aminuddin Baki in Bandar Enstek, shared her quarantine experience on social media.
The 22-year-old was among the 166 students from Indonesia who took a flight from Jakarta on April 2, and was placed at the quarantine centre in Nilai.
At the quarantine centre, the third-year medical student of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, who is undergoing a double degree programme with Padjadjaran University in Bandung, Indonesia, was able to attend online classes organised by the university.
“Even though I am here in the room every day, there are classes and assignments.
“However, staring at the computer screen 24/7 can be a little overwhelming.
“Every day, I am grateful for everything that I have received. It’s been so long since we students from abroad had Malaysian food.
“Someday, I will definitely return the favour. Thank you for feeding us,” she said.
Pavitha also uploaded photos of the snacks she received throughout her stay and even wrote thank you notes to the relevant civil servants.
Like Norul and his family, Pavitha was also given hospital garments to wear throughout her stay.
On the necessity of wearing hospital garments, a National Disaster Management Agency spokesman said it was specifically for those who had just returned from regions identified as Covid-19 epicentres, such as China, Iran, and Italy, as it was easier to send them for laundry.