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"When I handed my passport to (the) immigration officer, my hand was shaking," recalled Madam Nelly Hamdin, 45, as she recounted the day - March 17, a day before the lockdown - when she left her family behind in Malaysia. "My youngest son held onto m
"When I handed my passport to (the) immigration officer, my hand was shaking," recalled Madam Nelly Hamdin, 45, as she recounted the day - March 17, a day before the lockdown - when she left her family behind in Malaysia. "My youngest son held onto my hand throughout the car ride and continued to hug me even after I had stepped out of the car. I could see he wanted to cry." As a senior staff nurse at Alexandra Hospital, the Malaysian plays a front-line role in the fight against Covid-19. The mother of three usually commutes from her Johor Baru home, but the lockdown means she is now staying in a hotel in the central part of Singapore that her employer has provided. Madam Nelly's husband Mohamad Sairy Kamidin, a 46-year-old policeman, told her: "Let me take care of our family here. You need to think about your team and your patients." As she works in the intensive care unit which houses Covid-19 patients, Madam Nelly avoids leaving her hotel room and usually opts for food delivery. To keep her morale up, she makes video calls to her family before and after her shifts. She also puts up cards with words of encouragement from the public and her employer on a mirror in her room. Although she misses her family, she has never once questioned her decision to continue working. "I'm a nurse. Although I have family back home, since they are okay and support me, I think this is the best thing in life I can do," she said. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
"When I handed my passport to (the) immigration officer, my hand was shaking," recalled Madam Nelly Hamdin, 45, as she recounted the day - March 17, a day before the lockdown - when she left her family behind in Malaysia. "My youngest son held onto m
Mr Noor Azman Mohamed, 43, a cleaner, speaking with his family via a video call from his temporary accommodation - a rented terraced house in Hougang that serves as a hostel for company employees. He misses his wife and five children terribly and calls them four times a day. Mr Azman, who has worked at AO ServicePro for more than a year, said his home town is in Kelantan, but he rents a home in Johor Baru. As the family's sole breadwinner, he needs to continue working. His youngest son, who is four years old, always asks when his "bapa" (father in Malay) is coming home. For now, Mr Azman's brother is helping to support his family and Mr Azman will repay him when the lockdown ends. Mr Azman added he is thankful that he does not need to worry about shelter and income during this period. ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN
"When I handed my passport to (the) immigration officer, my hand was shaking," recalled Madam Nelly Hamdin, 45, as she recounted the day - March 17, a day before the lockdown - when she left her family behind in Malaysia. "My youngest son held onto m
Worry turned into immediate relief for Malaysian production worker Wong Kee Tat when his employer of 14 years, Tai Hua Food Industries, told him he could stay in the factory's dormitory during the lockdown. Prior to this, Mr Wong, 34, commuted daily from Johor Baru, where he rents a room, to his workplace in Jalan Besut in Jurong. Mr Wong, who is from the town of Kulai in Johor state, worries most for his mother who likes to go out. He constantly "nags" her to stay home to avoid catching the virus. He said he misses his family even more after the extension of the lockdown was announced, but he understands that it is a necessary pain. Mr Wong, who is single, stays in touch with his mother and siblings via WhatsApp. Tai Hua, known for producing soya sauce, has a dormitory for its foreign workers that has a laundry room and a kitchen furnished with a few refrigerators. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
"When I handed my passport to (the) immigration officer, my hand was shaking," recalled Madam Nelly Hamdin, 45, as she recounted the day - March 17, a day before the lockdown - when she left her family behind in Malaysia. "My youngest son held onto m
Mr Lau Chee Seong (left), 32, a plaster ceiling specialist, setting up LED lights in an empty three-room flat where he is temporarily staying. With him is interior designer Aiken Teo, 38, who owns the flat. When the lockdown was announced, Mr Teo told Malaysian workers he had previously hired as subcontractors that he was willing to house them in his flat, which is currently under renovation. Mr Lau's wife, who is also working in Singapore, is staying in a hostel. He is grateful they can still meet up for dinner, but they miss their three children in Segamat, Johor. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
"When I handed my passport to (the) immigration officer, my hand was shaking," recalled Madam Nelly Hamdin, 45, as she recounted the day - March 17, a day before the lockdown - when she left her family behind in Malaysia. "My youngest son held onto m
At a time when most fathers would be looking forward to witnessing their child's first milestones in life, Mr Alex Helly (left) has to make do with catching up with his nine-month-old daughter Jane Christie via daily video calls and photos snapped by his wife Catherine. The 38-year-old Malaysian, a data centre facilities engineer who has been working in Singapore since 2004, used to commute from his home in Kulai to his workplace in Tai Seng. He is now staying with his brother, Mr Francis Alan (right), 40. When the lockdown was announced, Mr Francis, a Singapore permanent resident, immediately offered to house Mr Alex and their other brother Charles, 42, in his family home in Admiralty. Mr Alex took up the offer while his brother opted to stay in a hotel provided by his employer. Although they have not lived under the same roof since they were much younger, the brothers have a close relationship, said Mr Alex. "I am very grateful to (my brother and his family). Not only are they housing me, but they are also helping me with my laundry and providing meals for me." Mr Alex gets to work a lot quicker now - his usual four-hour commute has been reduced to only 30 minutes - but it hardly makes up for how much he misses his family and two pet cats. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
"When I handed my passport to (the) immigration officer, my hand was shaking," recalled Madam Nelly Hamdin, 45, as she recounted the day - March 17, a day before the lockdown - when she left her family behind in Malaysia. "My youngest son held onto m
Temporary roommates Geetha Santheran (left), 27, and Suriakimari Ambalam, 46, chatting in their room at the end of a work day. The housekeepers are Malaysians working at cleaning company Ministry of Clean. Affected by the lockdown, they decided to stay in Singapore, apart from their families, and are currently housed in a rental Housing Board flat in Toa Payoh provided by their employer. ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN
"When I handed my passport to (the) immigration officer, my hand was shaking," recalled Madam Nelly Hamdin, 45, as she recounted the day - March 17, a day before the lockdown - when she left her family behind in Malaysia. "My youngest son held onto m
Mr Benny Lim, 20, who used to commute from Johor Baru, is a final-year student studying for a diploma in game design and development at Singapore Polytechnic. Although it is the school term break now, Mr Lim is working as a software intern at a hardware manufacturing company in Kembangan. He is thankful for the support of his school, which helped arrange for him to stay in a staff apartment on campus. ST PHOTO: WANG HUI FEN
"When I handed my passport to (the) immigration officer, my hand was shaking," recalled Madam Nelly Hamdin, 45, as she recounted the day - March 17, a day before the lockdown - when she left her family behind in Malaysia. "My youngest son held onto m
Mechanic Ong Hock Chwee, 61, on his makeshift bed at Ong Hock Soon Motor Repair at AutoBay@Kaki Bukit. Mr Ong has been staying there while sorting out accommodation for the rest of the lockdown period. A Singaporean, he is married to a Malaysian and lives in Johor Baru. Since 1989, he has been commuting to work here in his Toyota Corolla. For Mr Ong, the hardest part of the lockdown is not being able to see his family. His youngest daughter, who is 12 years old, learnt about the lockdown through her WhatsApp chat group and alerted him. Overnight, his wife and daughter helped to pack his clothes and essentials for his unexpected trip away from home. ST PHOTO: WANG HUI FEN
Primary 4 student from Marsiling Primary School Keshawn Cleve Ong, 10, does home-based learning in the living room of a HDB flat in Choa Chu Kang. A Malaysian, his family stays in Johor Baru and commutes daily to Singapore together with his father, who also works in Singapore. Due to the lockdown, his parents wanted to ensure that Keshawn is able to continue with his learning and not be affected by the movement control. Hence, they decided that staying in Singapore with friends during the lockdown will be the best and safest option. ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN
Updated
Mar 30, 2020, 05:09 PM
Published
Mar 30, 2020, 05:00 AM

In a bid to stem the rising number of coronavirus cases in Malaysia, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced a restricted movement order (RMO) to be implemented nationwide from March 18.

Initially, the RMO was to last till tomorrow, but last week, it was extended to April 14 as the number of Covid-19 infections continued to spike.

Some 300,000 Malaysians work in Singapore. About half that number are believed to be daily commuters. Others in the commuting group include Singaporeans who have chosen to live in Johor Baru, attracted by its lower cost of living and slower pace of life, as well as Malaysian students studying in Singapore schools.

More than 10,000 Malaysians working in Singapore who are affected by the RMO, which includes a travel ban, have found temporary accommodation in Singapore.

The Straits Times photojournalists tell the stories of a number of them who are temporarily calling Singapore home.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 30, 2020, with the headline Home away from home. Subscribe

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MCI (P) 066/10/2023. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2024 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

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