Life in an MCO Malaysia: How grocery shopping is now a highlight, not a chore
You know how y'all always imagine, when disaster hits, it does and so with a big bang? Well, with the COVID-xix pandemic, information technology kinda, sorta crept up.
In December 2019, at that place were rumblings that the city of Wuhan had been struck past a mysterious, highly contagious virus. I remember request some Shanghai-based friends who were back in Malaysia for Christmas if they were going dorsum to China with this happening, just they didn't seemed fazed. The conversation quickly moved back to my mango tree in Johor, which had stubbornly refused to yield annihilation apart from green leaves for the past two years.
Things began escalating in January. Five days after Malaysia appear its first COVID-19 case on January 25, the Globe Health Arrangement alleged a global wellness emergency.
About of Malaysia was yet in depression-form denial fashion. Pandemic realness was experienced only through the sheer number of WhatsApp spam letters received daily. Although to exist off-white, much of our attention was gripped by the political drama playing out in February, which culminated in the appointment of a new prime number minister, Muhyiddin Yassin.
That changed abruptly on Mar 15, with 190 new cases that seemed to sprout overnight after a large religious gathering was held in a Kuala Lumpur mosque.
The next solar day, our newly minted PM appear that a Motion Control Order (MCO) would exist implemented to adjourn the spread of the virus. This included a serial of measures such as shutting down borders, closing all non-essential services and limiting mass gatherings from Mar 18 to Mar 31.
For the everyday Malaysian, this meant staying at dwelling and only leaving the business firm to purchase essentials like groceries and medication, and no interstate travel. Restaurants could stay open up but would only be immune to provide takeaways. Those who disobeyed this would face penalties of up to RM1,000 (Southward$328) and/or up to 6 months in prison.
As the MCO kicked off, there were numerous accounts of people non taking this seriously. Some insisted that they could hang out at their favourite mamak stall in Subang Jaya. Others connected to keep up their fitness routine past jogging around the Mont Kiara area. The latter were arrested.
Too commonly reported (and observed firsthand) was the panic ownership of everything, and I mean everything. The managing director of the non-halal section of my favourite Johor supermarket, Large, recounted the mayhem on the eve of the MCO when I dropped past to pick upward my emergency staples of lup cheong and luncheon meat: "The shelves were picked make clean! And when we ran out of the normal stuff, the shoppers wiped out my entire stock of Iberico meats and other premium products."
Not going to lie, quarantine life with a leg of Jamon Iberico does take the edge off somewhat.
Despite the ground forces being brought in to enforce the MCO on Mar 22, the much--to-be flattening of the curve did non seem to be happening.
No surprise then, when PM Muhyiddin appear an extension of the MCO on Mar 25, extending the lockdown to April 14 – effectively shutting Malaysians in for a lilliputian shy of a month.
An Enhanced MCO (EMCO) was further announced on Mar 27 that would discipline areas in Malaysia where larger clusters were detected – this EMCO confined people to their homes for xiv days with no exception, although supplies would be provided during their quarantine.
Thankfully for me, Horizon Hills – where I live in Johor – is nonetheless a means from the ii areas in the state where EMCO has been enforced (Kampung Datuk Ibrahim Majid and Bandar Baharu Datuk Ibrahim Majid in Simpang Renggam, Kluang).
But this does non hateful that life is anywhere close to "normal" as nosotros know information technology.
We're entering the fourth week of MCO, which, on Apr 10, Muhyiddin appear would be extended to April 28. Ever-tightening measures are communicated to the rakyat (people) via SMS. Grocery shopping has now been express to going within a 10km radius of your home, with only the head of the household existence allowed that privilege.
It's been a while since I've ventured out of our gated customs equally our neighbourhood grocery shop delivers to our doorstep. Even so, every bit the weeks wore on, they have been and then overwhelmed with orders that the dainty Pakistani chap who runs it said unless I'm willing to wait a few days for my delivery, best to come past to selection up the groceries myself.
Since my husband is #woke, he had no problems designating me as joint head of the household. And truth be told, the v-minute drive to the store didn't seem similar a task but an exciting outing. So I got myself COVID-nineteen compliant past putting on my face up mask, gloves and grabbing three Ziploc bags – containing greenbacks, a credit card and my phone.
The block of shophouses where the grocery store is located was humming with more people that I had seen in three weeks but was still pretty quiet for a township spanning more than 1,200 acres.
To my relief, the shelves looked decently stocked and the produce, fresh and plentiful, quite unlike what I've heard from my family and friends in Penang and Kuala Lumpur where fresh vegetables have been hard to come by.
My resourceful (and Vitamin C-deprived) friends eventually managed to buy top-shelf produce from vendors who used to supply to restaurants and hotels. Said friends are now discovering the delights of organic Chayote and making beautiful jams from cape gooseberries.
Dorsum in my petty corner of the world, I navigated through the narrow aisles with a keen awareness of safe distancing. I picked upwardly staples like bread, eggs, 2 whole chickens, contrasted vegetables – and looked for the new staples of Dettol, latex gloves and face masks (all sold out).
The tinned food shelf looked sparse and although I loathe tinned food in full general (except you, Tulip Lunch Meat, you lot, I love), I felt a flake put out. It was possibly but my reptilian brain kicking in that this signalled a shortage and therefore an impending apocalypse.
Overriding this lightheaded notion, I moved on to comfort food: Chocolate (Dairy Milk with Honeycomb will take to do in these night times) for me, marshmallows for the husband and ice cream for, well, luck.
And finally my favourite part of any grocery shop, the fresh fruit section. I don't discriminate over local or imported fruit merely merely apply that line from Rex Lear: "Ripeness is all."
The startlingly greenish grapes looked crisp, so those went into the handbasket, equally did the perky guava. Simply wither the mango? I poked effectually the butt and all I came upwards with were crushed balls of old newspaper. This did not fill me with a sense of dread (dissimilar with the tinned nutrient), only despondency.
Shopping done, I drove dorsum to the ranch. Conscientious to dispose of my mask and gloves, I unpacked the groceries on the driveway and then that they could be sprayed with disinfectant before being hosed downward over again.
"What news from the outside world?" teased my husband while helping me with this new extra step.
"All tranquillity but no mangoes," I replied.
"Come up and take a look in the garden," he said with a grin. To my delight, there were some flowers on our mango tree. Maybe we will accept mangoes afterward all.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/experiences/grocery-shopping-in-mco-malaysia-194746
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