It was a tearful goodbye for the new father as he hopped on his motorcycle at his home in Johor Baru to get to Singapore before Malaysia locked down its borders.
Tuesday night was the last time Mr Hairul Azhar Ismail, 29, would see his wife and one-year-old son for two weeks.
Describing the ordeal as a "sacrifice", the postal service crew member said: "It was very sad to leave. My wife cried, and my son cried too."
He added: "Before I left for Singapore, we all gathered for dinner and said our goodbyes. I will be video-calling them every day."
Mr Hairul is one of about 400 Malaysian SingPost staff for whom the postal service has arranged to stay in three different hotels over the two-week lockdown.
Almost 90 Malaysian staff working at the SingPost Delivery Base in Kallang are staying at the Holiday Inn hotel.
About 20 per cent of SingPost's Malaysian staff have declined to stay in Singapore. They will first use their annual leave, and then go on no-pay leave.
On the first day of the lockdown yesterday morning, Communications and Information Minister S. Iswaran and Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Sim Ann were at the Kallang base to thank the 90 Malaysians who chose to stay in Singapore for the two weeks to ensure the continuation of the postal service here.
Speaking to the media at the event, Mr Iswaran said: "The Minister for Manpower has talked about the arrangement of facilities, to try and facilitate the supply of accommodation. Employers can then work out which best suits their needs."
He added: "On one hand, we facilitate the supply of accommodation possibilities, and at the same time, support to manage the cost associated with it."
On Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced a nationwide lockdown - from yesterday until March 31 - in a bid to stem the rising number of coronavirus cases in Malaysia, which has recorded more than 600 cases and two deaths as of Tuesday.
All Malaysians will be barred from travelling overseas. This includes Malaysians who travel to Singapore on a near daily basis for work or study, said Malaysia's immigration chief Khairul Dzaimee Daud.
Tourists will not be allowed entry into the country over the two-week period, while Malaysians returning from abroad must undergo a health examination and self-quarantine for 14 days.
Mr Iswaran, addressing the concern of the lockdown extending beyond two weeks, and how this might affect Malaysian workers in Singapore, said: "We will continue to monitor the situation and the feedback from our companies, see what else needs to be done and then respond appropriately."
