KUALA LUMPUR – The impending reopening of our nation’s borders on Friday (April 1) has been met with no small amount of mixed feelings among local youth – with some looking forward to finally making new journeys, and others having trepidations over infections and financial concerns.
Speaking to The Vibes, many individuals in the springtime of their lives expressed excitement at the imminent border reopening after close to two years of confinement and restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In early March, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Malaysia would begin the first phase of its transition towards the endemic phase from April 1. The reopening of international borders is set to be part of the transition.
For Lim Yao Rong, 18, the reopening presents a ray of hope, a glimpse into a better life for him and his family. Having successfully completed his SPM examinations at SMK Kamarul Ariffin in Labis, Johor, he hopes to be able to provide for his family by securing a job in Singapore.
“We are not a very well-off family. My father, who is a factory worker and the sole breadwinner for our family of six, nearly lost his job when the nation was first put under a movement control order.
“Now that I am done with high school, I want to look for a job and support my family,” said Lim, the family’s second oldest.
He added that the family will soon bear higher costs as his elder sister will be sitting for the STPM exam this year, while two of their other siblings are still in primary and secondary school.
Last week, Malaysia and Singapore had announced that fully vaccinated travellers would be allowed to cross the Causeway without undergoing quarantine or Covid-19 tests from next month.
Lim said that he has no plans to vacation abroad as the cost of travelling is simply too much for him to bear at the moment.
Reckoning with the virus
Lim is not alone in lamenting monetary difficulties. Financial business consultant Dannie Syazwan, 24, is also hard-pressed to organise an overseas trip due to a current lack of funds.
Having recently started working after graduating from Universiti Malaya with an economics degree, Dannie said that he will not be making use of the reopened borders anytime soon as a trip abroad is out of his current budget.
He also said that since daily Covid-19 infections in the country continue to number in the thousands, he is hesitant to partake in any sort of travel arrangements.
“While the reopening of our borders could generate income for the country and restart the tourism sector, there might also be negative side effects on public health and safety.
“With a lot of foreign travellers coming into Malaysia, there might even be a spike in the numbers of Covid-19 cases, especially in places that are tourist attractions,” he said.
Housewife Fareesya Minhad, 23, however, is willing to take the risk and anticipates being able to venture out of the country for a breath of fresh air with her husband Irfan, 24.
Hoping to be able to visit her sister, a student in Russia, the first-time expectant mother also has plans to carry out humanitarian missions for less fortunate people in faraway countries.
She added that parents have a responsibility to expose their children to new experiences while taking the necessary precautions such as avoiding crowded places.
“It is understandable that health risks are a concern for families but we have no choice but to live with the virus.
“If we don’t learn to live with it, then we won’t live at all.” – The Vibes, March 30, 2022
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