Coronavirus: Often overlooked, Malaysia's army of essential workers plays important role

KUALA LUMPUR - Mr Muhammad Johari Jaafar leaves his home by 7am daily and rides some 65km to downtown Kuala Lumpur with one mission - to make as many food deliveries to hungry customers as he can.

Riding his small Honda motorcycle, the 63-year old who lives in a remote part of Selangor, called Jeram, sometimes has to ride more than 100km just to deliver a packet of food for a fee as low as RM5 (S$1.65) per order.

"Some people think it's crazy to travel more than 130km just to deliver food, but at a time like this, I can't be choosy," said Mr Johari who used to sell fruit at night markets.

In another part of Selangor, postman Ahmad Nazrin Hafiz, 31, has also been busy while other Malaysians are safely at home during the movement control order (MCO) that entered its 30th day on Thursday (April 16).

"My day starts at 7am. I would head over to my office to sort thousands of parcels before going out again in the afternoon for door-to-door parcel collection," said the Subang Jaya resident.

"Even before MCO came into effect, it was already hard for us to take a break. But now, it's crazier, as many depend on online shopping," he said.

When people refer to "front-liners" in the fight against Covid-19, they often refer to doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.

The police and the army too are deemed essential workers.

But often seen, and perhaps often overlooked, are the tens of thousands of people like Mr Johari and Mr Ahmad, who have front-line roles in keeping the economy going in their own small way.

And by having to leave their homes daily, they too are exposed to the risk of infection.

They include workers at supermarkets and medicine halls, restaurant and fast-food cooks who serve takeaway food, workers who collect trash from housing estates, van drivers who deliver groceries and household items ordered online, and volunteer corps men and women from the Rela outfit who are at roadblocks with the police and army.

The authorities have said 50,000 security personnel are at the front lines, including police and the army. And while the government has not revealed the number of essential workers during the MCO, Foodpanda alone has some 13,000 riders nationwide.

Malaysia on Thursday (April 16) entered the 30th day of the MCO, which prevents its citizens from going out of their homes unless they are essential workers, or need to buy groceries, medicine or food.

The MCO started on March 18 and was initially slated for a period of two weeks to March 31, but has been extended twice. The partial lockdown will end on April 28, as the government tries to reduce the rate of infection.

The government has kept drilling into Malaysians to stay at home or keep their distance from others to stay safe.

At a petrol station, pump attendant Jihad Kawser, 29, from Bangladesh said he must now tell customers to remain in their vehicles while he fills their tanks. This is a deviation from customers filling up their own petrol tanks.

"It's more work, definitely, given that the self-service concept has been in practice for so long. But I'm not in the position to complain or choose what I want to do. It's all about what I need to do to survive, especially in a foreign land," he said.

While grateful for having a job during this time of uncertainty, things can get hairy, with less downtime for deliverymen like Mr Johari.

"I would pull over from time to time to rest, as I'm not young any more, but you would be surprised at how warm Malaysians are. Some would approach me to give a bottle of water or a pack of food," he said. "My days are always made when I stumble upon these kind people."

Postman Mr Ahmad said there is more work now as more parcels of goods move around after being ordered online.

And then he must be extra careful when he gets home.

"It's crazier, as many depend on online shopping. I can stand all of this but the thing that saddens me the most is having to isolate myself from my wife and two-year-old daughter. I fear infecting them, as I'm on the go.

"I can't remember the last time I hugged them," he said.