THE DIARY OF A MALAYSIAN TRAVELLING HOME FROM ABROAD DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC - PART THREE

[CONTINUATION OF PART TWO]

photo from the internet

7th MAY 2020:

8:30 p.m. We went out of the plane but were asked to keep the distance between one another and we proceeded to the aerotrain station. However, we were instructed to go down and get onto the buses that took us to the arrival terminal. In the shuttle bus, we had to stand on boxes "drawn" with binding tapes which would not allow us not to be too near to anyone else. 10:00 p.m. First we were scanned for our temperature at the immigration area to ensure we are not having fever. Next, there was another queue for us to fill in the Health Declaration Form [HDF]. The medical staff who were in their full PPE suits assessed our health condition before the swab test was carried out. There was this something similar to a cotton bud but much longer inserted deep into first, a person's nose and second, deeper into the throat, to get the sample. Small kids could be heard screaming and crying while the process was in progress, and that increased our anxiety level. 11:30 p.m. Then our turn arrived. The swab test was done just in a short time. It was a bit uncomfortable but not painful. We then adjourned to the immigration counter to get our passports checked. After getting our luggage, then we had to wait again for the turn to get onto the bus that would ferry us to the quarantine centre. Outside the arrival hall, all the passengers' bags and luggage were arranged and the staff sprayed disinfection liquid on them and then only they were put in the bus. We had our hands sanitized and were allowed to get on board, and we were in the last bus. Packets containing a boxed drinks, a bottle of mineral water, a soft bun and mango jelly were distributed. There were only 15 people on the bus and social distancing was again observed as one passenger occupied two seats. I was already tired and starving and I finished the bun there and then.

8th MAY 2020:

1:22 a.m. All the four buses, which belonged to the PDRM - the Royal Malaysian Police left the KLIA terminal building and were escorted by police patrol bikes to an unknown location. I could identify the route would take us to Kuala Lumpur city centre. 2:10 a.m. The bus stopped in front of Grand Millennium Hotel. The surrounding was too dark and I could not only see there was a Fahrenheit Mall opposite. Our luggage was unloaded from the bus and we alighted and queued up again for our room keys. My two daughters would be separated from me though in different rooms but their rooms were just beside mine so it was a relief. We had too many things to carry to our rooms and would need a trolley. The JPAM [Civil Defence Force] officers were kind enough to help us get one. 3:00 a.m. Our rooms were on the 18th floor. Once our belongings were put inside the room, I had to return the trolley downstairs. I needed to clean myself and performed my prayers, and called my kids with the hotel's room-to-room line and asked them to do the same. 5:00 a.m. It was already sahur (morning meal) time and I asked my children to just eat and drink the sandwich and water that were given before we entered our rooms. I tried to peek out of the room to see if there was anything prepared for us and to my surprise, food was already put on the chair outside. We were lucky to get to eat Nasi Lemak that morning before we started fasting in less than an hour. After all the long hours of waiting and queuing, I was grateful I could lie on the bed and get some rest.

That should be the longest and most exhaustive travelling home experience for us, ever. I noticed no one complaining throughout the process and remember, this was in the month of Ramadhan when Muslims were fasting so we were extra tired, hungry and thirsty. In fact, everyone was really cooperative and patient, and that should ease the staff and officers on duty and everything went very smoothly. I guess everyone already understood what was going on and each person had done his/her very best to ensure that we could get through all this without any difficulties.

How the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything. Let's pray this pandemic will end soon so that we will get to live our normal lives again.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART FOUR