Pandemic talk

Bismillah.

It's day 81 of MCO. Almost three months of isolating inside, embracing a new life that we all thought we wouldn't survive at first. And I guess, most of us survived.

When this Covid-19 started to rise in numbers in Malaysia, upon going back to campus after our uni version of Covid holiday, I'd never go outside of the campus except for a three days camp in Sri Raudhah Camp, Gombak. I tried my best to avoid going to malls, going into nature even when my bones are tickling me to go outside. I withstood all my cravings and let it be, saying that "it would be okay soon."

Damn, I was wrong.

The numbers of cases increases rapidly and the prime minister declared for RMO (Restriction Movement Order) for 14 days starting from 18/3. It was announced on 16/3 in which in that week, our classes had started to be done online instead of physically attending. Everyone had a day to wrap things up and majority of my friends were busy buying tickets to go home.

I, however, told my mom that I would go home a bit later.

By a bit later, I mean probably three days later, so that I could probably finish my assignments and still-on-going schedule of online classes. I had assignments due the week after, so I need to finish it here, in the place where I could get Internet coverage and such. Plus, I have pretty much nothing to do at home so staying in campus seems like a better idea.

That's when the world turn against me.

My uni started to block people from entering and exiting the campus and an official notice from KPM said the same thing. I was then stranded in my uni and things got worst when our area became Covid-19 red zone area. Any food delivery are not allowed inside and none of the student inside could go out. RMO then were extended longer until 14th April and few dates later; the recent one would be 9th June.

I am now home, the uni and of course, not to forget, KPTM arranged an operation to send students home and few days after Ramadhan started, which was on 1st May, I reached home right before iftar. That, is after waiting for almost 5 hours in total, including on how the IPD in my area decided to not take us (there's five other student with the same fate) under their wing, because our respective towns were more than 10km from the station.

Anyways, upon the issue, the uni quickly found a solution. They booked a van, even sanitized them and sent the five of us, not at the station or any stops, but right in front of our houses. Now, now, who's lucky?

A sis finally arrived home after two months stranded in the campus.

I remembered running out of things to do here that I started to do a game play video, but the post-production stuff took too much time that I gave up on it. I played games by myself, but it started to grow boring. I binge-watched Criminal Minds season 3 and I've watched too much murders and crimes so I had enough with that too. Kdrama didn't seem to interest me but I do have few unwatched K-drama in my collection.

And trust me, it was a long time. Upon meeting my also-stranded friends, we looked at each other counting days when would this MCO end. We're tired of talking to walls and staring at the laptops on our desk.

Anyways, it felt good to be home. The front liners who specifically involved in the operation of sending us home, did an amazing job. I couldn't be more thankful for them.

Anyways, the pandemic, of course, doesn't only have an effect on me.

When I first heard about the pandemic, I quickly searched information on other pandemic that happened in the previous years. I checked on the H1NI1, SARS and others. I looked at how long does it take for a country to recover, just to get some mental preparation on when this pandemic would end.

Apparently it took more than a year to recover, and when I first knew it, I couldn't be more speechless. I knew that we have no other choice other than waiting for it to end, even if it takes several years.

Since day 1, it was never easy for everyone. A lot of changes had to be made during these three months and it was hard to embrace at first. Everyone were either, positive or paranoid with certain SOP the government came with. Everyone had to sacrifice a lot of things, be it their social life or work life.

And that made accepting new normal harder.

Recently, many people were affected with the current situation. Students couldn't go to school, hence schools were extended for months. Uni students were to do online classes until the end of the year, and it causes so many difficulties to not only students but also lecturers. Working classes have been working from home since MCO started, but some also, loses their job. Medical practitioners were exposed to the virus since the first day it came to Malaysia and have been working non-stop, preventing it from spreading.

And these are not all.

It is a hard time for all of us.

I wish I could say that it's not that long until the race ends, but I couldn't. It is and will be a long race. Many people are at the verge of giving up, in which I really understand. It is really a hard time.

But, let us not, shall we?

This pandemic will end one day, if not soon, and we need to have each other's back to win this. Let's hang in there and fight together until it ends.

Anyways, it's #KitaJagaKita right?

Yeah, #KitaJagaKita. :)