What next?

Observations of Daily Life In The Pandemic

BY PATRICK HO

By now, Malaysians and their families would have been used to a "forced" groove of life during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Donning masks, hand-carried sanitizers in the pocket, scanning QR codes at restaurants and markets, endless cooking and online home schooling has become a new way of life.

Of course, the latter is made more difficult due to the fact that it is an abnormal way for teachers to teach.

Imagine yourself as a primary school teacher today... you've never been trained or had to teach by looking into a laptop camera.

I have received many tales of teachers getting so frustrated and angry that they had to message the parents because either the kids were not paying attention, or went missing during the online classes.

Most kids don't even register themselves during the online classes.

Behavioral science anyone?

For the kids well, many parents have told me that it is a stressful experience to say the least.

Bored, restless kids sitting in front of a laptop and trying to stay focused.

Many have cried trying to cope.

We also have to spare a thought for the rural poor in remote parts of East Malaysia.

The news reports of kids having to climb trees or trek through jungle to higher ground is worrying.

What about the dangers of wild animals or falling from a tree?

Reports say that the authorities are looking into it and apparently the wheels are turning to bring internet connections to those affected areas.

Thank you Veveonah Mosibin for bringing this to light on social media in 2020. (Watch: https://youtu.be/-qxTyBWVLIU)

Who would have imagined that it'll come to this in life?

The mental stress for the kids are terrible to say the least, let alone the pressures faced by parents.

Socially, they have been denied the luxury that we adults experienced during our school days.

Even standing up to bullies isn't part of the growing up equation.

To say the least, kids need play time and interacting with other kids to build their psychological foundation.

Business and work during a pandemic?

Forget the word tough or struggle, as the majority of the world's working class have been reduced to being jobless.

The middle class reduced to lower class.

No class. A new age of equality?

Yes, that is the reality we all face.

Mind you, two years before the pandemic hit the world, the economy in Malaysia was already reeling from a drop in revenue.

Digital disruption had "killed" off many products and services.

Now, online buying has become a convenient new way of life.

All we need was a bank account or a credit card.

But what about the majority of the poor, the older folk and those in the rural areas without access to internet connections?

They still depend on the wet markets kedai runcit and convenience stores, I suppose.

After all, some prominent figure did utter the words, "CASH IS KING".

For the businessmen, the future looks bleak to say the least.

With the the lack of consumers in general that are not earning a regular income, or none at all, many businesses have folded.

"We have a plan to assist SME's", so said the powers that be.

How many companies can be saved?

Too late.

But, don't give up I say.

Start creating something.

We can't just sit down and do nothing.

"But what do we do when the rising number of cases and an MCO (Movement Control Order) is in place?" asked a friend.

Drive Grab for a living?

Many drivers that I have spoken to, have told me that they had to drive from 7am to 9pm due to the lack of passengers.

All this, they told, just to earn RM2,000 to RM3,000 (if you're lucky).

For most of these young drivers, the money earned will be used to pay for monthly bills.

That leaves them nothing much for savings and food for the family.

No one has the answers. Not right now.

We just have to give it time.

The world has faced pandemics before and have survived.

We will eventually.

That's the law of nature. 

Change is inevitable.

#ends#