We are on Day 2 of the mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival in Malaysia. Having expected this as part of the requirement to enter Malaysia during this Covid 19 pandemic, you'd think I'd be more prepared! So I'll give a bit of detail here on some things that I think would be useful to have with you before you board that plane heading to KLIA. But first, a brief interlude of the journey over from London Heathrow via Emirates Airlines.
Terminal 2 at Heathrow seemed slightly less busy than usual. But then again, I heard they've temporarily closed temporarily closed operations in one terminal (not sure which), so perhaps international travels in and out of UK has gone down a bit, as with other countries. There were no health checks at Departures gate. Checked in was normal, save for the Covid 19 PCR Negative test certificate which we needed to show for Emirates flights. Security checks were normal, and eventually was directed to the correct Gate for boarding where seating were appropriately spaced apart. The first leg of the flight had lots of seats empty, I believe everyone on that flight got a whole row to themselves (oh joy!). We had to don face masks throughout the flight (which I believe is probably not necessary as Emirates planes have HEPA filters that filters the entire cabin's air every 2 to 3 minutes (Video: Emirates Cabin Air). Meals were okay but staff - as always - were friendly and helpful. Spent the entire first leg watching movies on the on-board entertainment system and once in Dubai, it was all normal albeit a tiny bit less busy than usual, which means the ladies loos were not too busy! Masks are mandatory at all times (obviously except when you eat or drink at the restaurants / cafes).
Second leg of the journey was a nicer surprise for me because I think we got the Airbus again. Usually it's the older Boeing 777. And again, the flight was pretty empty so all passengers got a whole row to themselves plus several more rows empty, so it was nice and quiet and no queues to get to the loo! Slept the entire second leg till we arrived in Malaysia.
Now, for the moment, only Malaysian nationals and a handful of foreign nationals (Please check your government's Travel Advice for details. For UK, you can check this page: Travel Advice Gov.uk. For both Malaysians and foreign nationals who are eligible for entry, there are strict guidelines. The most important things you'll need include:
1. Complete and submit a Letter of Understanding (LOU) form and email it to the Malaysian High Commission (in London) for processing.
2. Once processed and approved, they will send you a Letter of Approval (LoA) that you will need to show to the Immigrations desk when you arrive in Malaysia. Without this, you will not be allowed to enter the country.
3. Download the MySejahtera app onto the mobile phone you're taking with you to Malaysia. You will need this app from the moment you arrive in KLIA, whereby the app will be used to facilitate your 14-day quarantine process.
4. Get a Covid 19 PCR test done within 96 hours of your flight departure time. Note that this requirement will depend on which airline you take. Emirates airline requires it, there may be other airlines that don't require it. So check with the airline to see if they need a Covid 19 test certificate. This test must be conducted by centres that uses test equipment that are approved by the Public Health England so please check carefully with the test provider and ask them if their test is PHE approved. There are several medical centres in and around the UK where you can get this test. The one I used was the Wren Healthcare in Orpington. Although NHS provides free Covid 19 tests, these cannot be used for the purpose of your flight as these test will not come with an official certificate.
So those are the four important requirements that you'll need in order to get you into Malaysia. Please note that I am a Malaysian citizen, so if you are not a Malaysian citizen, then there may be additional requirements, so please don't take this list as comprehensive.
Once we got to KLIA, things are just a little bit different than usual. At this point, you must already have the 'MySejahtera' app on your mobile (honestly, you just need to download the app, you can do this while you're still in UK and don't worry about completing the short questionnaire or anything yet till you get to KL). Using the app, you'll need to scan the code that will be provided and fill in some forms on the app. This basically announces to them that you have arrived in KL and provides them with all the necessary contact details, emergency numbers, track-and-trace details, etc. This bit took a fair amount of time because many passengers haven't yet loaded the app on their phone or not sure of what to do and what details to fill in. But we all got there in the end. Unfortunately, when we arrived, that cute little commuter train that takes you between terminals was not in service (I believe it was under maintenance) but they had the shuttle bus to take us to the main terminal, a journey that takes only a few minutes.
When you get to Immigrations , you'll find clearly marked areas that are basically the processing line for your arrival. These areas are staffed by representatives from various government agencies such as the Immigration Department, Ministry of Health, etc, etc. They are very well organised. Organised to the point of being military, I'd say. Which, in many ways, for me is comforting to see. I love Malaysia and I want everyone to stay safe. So just be sure to have all your documents (LOU, LOA, Passport, cash/card for payment for tests, and other necessary documents) on hand and follow the instructions. Have some patience as this takes a bit of time. Once they've checked that we got all the necessary documents, we sit and wait for our turn to be given a set of Covid 19 tests. Yes, this is another set of tests that you'll need to take even if you have a Covid 19 PCR Negative test result that was required by your airline. No ifs or buts. Then you pay for the tests (the two tests here were cheaper than the one test I had to take in the UK - that's all I'm going to say about that) and you wait for the bus that will take you to the quarantine centre. Basically the whole process took roughly one and a half hour from beginning to end, so a bit of patience is required. Remember, these staff members sit there for hours and hours processing all the new arrivals (and I have to say, they do it very professionally and I'm impressed.)
We were bussed to the Oriental Crystal Hotel in Kajang, which has been designated as one of the many quarantine centres in Malaysia. Anyone coming into Malaysia will have to bear the cost of the 14-day quarantine hotel stay - no exceptions. I love my mum and dad enough to hunker down in a hotel room for two weeks, and certainly enough to spend that money. My husband may disagree tho, as he's the one paying for the quarantine (I love you, darling!). Make sure you have funds (cash or card) to pay for the 14 days as this will need to be paid (either a deposit or in full) as soon as you get to the hotel. Now, apparently, it is the luck of the draw WHERE you get sent for the quarantine. For a maximum cost of RM150 per day (for Malaysian Citizens) you can either be sent to hotels like Grand Millennium, Dorsett Grand, Hilton, or to a more down to earth quarantine stations like a 2 or 3 star hotel. There's no pick and choose. Remember, this is a quarantine process, not a vacation stay. They'll fill up one station with PUS (Persons Under Surveillance) then move on to the next station. So far, from the lists I've seen of quarantine stations in the past, most have been hotels, from 5-star to 2-stars. There's also a small handful of quarantine stations that are not hotels, but are government owned buildings, but I've not heard of anyone having been sent to these facilities so I can't really comment in it.
Now for the 14-day quarantine, here's what I suggest you pack in your suitcase:
1. Personal toiletries to last 14 days. I say this because once you get to the quarantine station, you will not be able to go out to get personal toiletries etc. If you're placed in a 5-star hotel, then you can expect all the usual mod cons that 5-star hotels come with. If not, it's best to be prepared with your toiletries. These include toothpaste, toothbrush, nice soaps (I wish I'd have the foresight to bring a bar of fresh citrus scented soap or shower gel... mental wellbeing is a real thing when you're stuck in a room for 14 days!). Wish I'd packed my favourite tube of toothpaste, instead of opting for the smaller travel sized generic one.
2. Books, e-books, handheld video games (if you have kids), iPad, laptop. Most hotels will have free WiFi, so might as well use them. Oriental Crystal rooms have nice big flat screen TVs with an adequate number of channels to surf through.
3. Snacks (your favourite biscuits, favourite teas, favourite brand of instant coffee, sweets, etc). Right now I wish I had bought that bag of Wethers Originals at the Duty Free. Sigh. Hindsight 20/20... which is why I decided to write this post so those planning to travel over here will be more prepared than I am!
4. For Muslims, if you have a thin sajadah (prayer mat), might as well bring one with you. Not all quarantine stations will have sajadah in the rooms. For ladies, don't forget to pack your telekung. (I got this one right!).
5. Supplements (Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and other supplements to help your body cope with this new norm of travel experience!). The reason I say this is because whilst most hotels serve decent food (oh, yes you get three meals everyday placed outside your door if you're in a hotel.) they often don't have much by way of fresh fruits and veg. You have to remember, because of the Covid, many hotels (especially the smaller 3 or 2 stars hotels) are struggling so they've probably had to make a lot of cutbacks on staff, on sundries, etc, etc. So just imagine it - they're preparing three meals daily for that RM140 - RM150 per day all in one go to feed all the 'sudden' (though not unexpected) arrivals in their hotel. The meals may not be gourmet (especially if it's not a 4/5 star hotel), but it's three square set of meals, so don't knock it. Now is the time to meditate on Gratitude. (Do note that this quarantine cost may well be different by the time you read this post, that's the nature of the beast - circumstances fluctuate ever so often, so best to check the latest update on costs from the official government websites.) They have a handful of hotel staff on duty (who's jobs have not been cut) to cope with - in our case - seven busloads of people who are tired, hungry and disgruntled from the long journey. These come from different flights and arrived at the hotel throughout the day. Really, I take my hat off to the staff here at Oriental Crystal Hotel for managing such a large influx of people at their hotel all in one day. Shout out to staff including Doroshi, Faisal, Ashraf, to name a few. They are very professional and very patient with our bunch. As well as all the staff from the Ministry of Health, Civil Defence, etc, etc. who are basically on hand to keep things in check. Especially the two lady doctors who were posted at the hotel and in our WhatsApp group - you know who you are!
Yes, one nice touch, I think, is that we got a WhatsApp group that keeps us all up to date on all the goings-on, help us ask for assistance when we need it, and get answers to any questions we have (and we sure did have plenty of these!). Again, all the public servant staff and hotel staff were absolute stars! No, I'm not brown-nosing, I'm just stating a fact. I'm sure they the hotel staff have come across people who are disappointed and/or offended that they've not been placed in a 5-star hotel instead and instantly turn into big babies and start making life hard for the hotel staff. This Covid thing is an equalizer for sure... should bring these sorts back down to earth! But in our batch (more than 100 people) most were sweethearts. I know this sounds cliche, but I really do feel that 'Malaysia Boleh' vibe in the chat group. It's true you know, there are more good people out there than bad. That's the silent majority, really. They pull together when they need to. Granted there are also some good people who are cheeky, but in times like these, you need these cheeky types to cheer you up!
Tomorrow will be Day 3. I've called my mum and dad and they're glad that I've arrived safely but also a bit sad that I'm in quarantine. There's nothing to be worried about really. Someone uploaded a bunch of asana poses in our social group chat, which is tremendously helpful. Hey, if you're stuck indoors, what better way to spend idle time right? Think of it like a mini staycation. Stick to the rules, attend to your own well being and those with you, cultivate patience if you don't already possess it. Be polite to everyone no matter what the problem or issue. Everything will be sorted out in good time. This Covid is a trial that poses an opportunity for all of us to rise above, and try to be our best selves, the nest that we can be. If we rise to this challenge, conduct ourselves well, treat others like we'd like to be treated ourselves, then our prize is - the better versions of ourselves from who we were, coming into Covid.
Now, it's nearly 12pm, still a bit jet lagged, so maybe a movie before sleep.
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