After I received my second COVID-19 vaccine dose late last year, and Malaysia had permitted visitors to quarantine at home, I returned to visit my aged mother, and this is where I remain. I would like to share my experiences under the Malaysian policy of coexisting with COVID-19.
The current wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Malaysia peaked on Feb. 25, with 30,644 confirmed cases, falling to 6,623 by April 17, when there were 12 deaths, 0.18 percent of infections.
As of April 18, 84.6 percent of the population — including teenagers and children over five years old — have had two vaccine doses, and 48.9 percent have received a third dose.
During this period, everyone in Malaysia, citizens and non-citizens alike, were all required to provide their telephone number, the number of times they had been vaccinated and whether they had been infected with the virus. Children and elderly people were able to use the phones of family members.
Everyone was given an account on the MySejahtera app, developed by the Malaysian government to monitor the COVID-19 situation. People would scan a QR code when entering or leaving a public area and have their temperature taken whenever they entered a shop or restaurant in a shopping mall, but this requirement has been dropped.
Although the pandemic continues, my life in Malaysia has been completely normal. The only exceptions have been a requirement to wear a mask when I go out, and scanning a QR code in a staff member’s presence before entering a public establishment.
There were no plastic partitions separating seats in restaurants, I could go to movie theaters, attend class and visit places of worship. Beginning two months ago, the restrictions on the number of people allowed in a place at any one time were gradually lifted.
One day, the MySejahtera app displayed yellow, informing me that I had recently visited an unidentified place where a confirmed case had been.
Yellow meant that the case in question was either asymptomatic or had exhibited only mild symptoms.
I was allowed to continue going to work and go about my everyday activities as normal, without having to self-quarantine, although each store could make its own determination about allowing people with a yellow code to enter.
The yellow code disappeared after the limit of 10 days and my life returned to normal. That limit later dropped to five days, and presently the yellow alert has been replaced with an e-mail warning that does not show on the app.
A red code would appear only after being in close contact with a person who had tested positive for COVID-19 and exhibited severe symptoms, which was less than 0.5 percent of confirmed cases.
A person receiving a red alert would need to quarantine at home and not be allowed to leave. Medical attention would be required upon developing mild symptoms, and the person would need to move to a quarantine site.
I once noticed that a food court stall I frequented was shut for a few days. When I asked what had happened, the owner of a nearby outlet said: “Oh, they’re in quarantine.”
I had never seen a shop closed for very long. The owner of the stall got better after a few days, tested negative for the virus and was back at work. The customers returned and everything carried on as if nothing had happened.
I would occasionally hear about a person testing positive, self-quarantining, getting better within a few days and then going back to work. Aside from news reports, my friends and relatives have not told me of anyone they know dying from the disease.
Since the Malaysian government several months ago implemented a policy of coexisting with the virus, the streets are once again filling with traffic, and the number of intercity trains and buses is gradually returning to normal. Although some businesses closed during the height of the pandemic, those that weathered the storm have gone back to business as usual.
In the past couple of months, there have been two state elections in Malaysia, with no sense of trepidation.
Visitors since last month have been allowed into the country if they have received two vaccine doses with evidence of a negative test result within two days before arrival, and another negative result upon arrival. Home quarantine is not required.
Malaysia’s experience shows that there is no need to fear living with the virus, as long as basic pandemic prevention measures are followed — mask wearing, careful hand washing and maintaining personal distance.
Vaccinations should continue to be administered, and cases should be monitored — distinguishing between those with mild and severe symptoms.
Many countries have opened their borders and relaxed quarantine policies. Taiwan is an important member of the world’s democratic order, and there is no reason it should fall behind other countries in this regard.
There should be less political spittle flying around, and more observance of science and other countries’ experiences. It is possible to defeat this virus and rest easy once more.
Choo Kong-bung is an adjunct researcher at Taipei Veterans General Hospital’s Department of Medical Research.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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