KUALA LUMPUR – There is a stark contrast in how elderly Malaysians and their younger counterparts are reacting to the reopening of the country’s borders.
Senior citizens, who are obviously in the high-risk group, are far more concerned and are not keen on travelling, while those outside of that age group cannot seem to wait to gallivant across the globe, despite new restrictions and a weaker economy.
Speaking to The Vibes, SPCA Selangor chairman Christine Chin said she is still “trudging along with no plans” to go abroad as the Covid-19 figures at home and abroad are still “worrisome”.
Chin, a senior citizen, said the younger generation is perhaps more excited to holiday overseas, “but not the oldies” or those aged above 60.
The endemic period merely means that governments have accepted higher death rates while reopening their economies and borders, but each person must take their own precautions.”
“What happens if one gets bad symptoms overseas and needs hospitalisation?” she says.
Seeing the importance of having family holidays, Chin says she will have a getaway soon, but not to a foreign country.
She said she prefers modes of travel that do not involve aeroplanes as the cabins are closed and confined spaces. Instead, Chin said, she would choose to go to places where she can drive.
“There are many places in Malaysia to choose from,” she said.
Only travelling to perform haj
Meanwhile, a 68-year-old homemaker who requested anonymity voiced her concern about the pandemic and travelling, but despite her worries, it will not stop her and her husband from performing their haj pilgrimage this year.
For her, the trip is not about having fun on a holiday, but is a religious obligation to Allah in which she has been “called” to complete one of Islam’s basic pillars of worship – otherwise, she would not have considered taking a vacation abroad.
This pandemic is global and fluid, I can’t think of a safe place to travel to and not worry.”
“With so many uncertainties surrounding the global pandemic and the evolving virus itself, honestly, I am not comfortable, given my age and the unknown health system in Makkah.”
Regarding her travel expenses, the retiree has mentally prepared for a 10% to 15% increase to pay for her RT-PCR tests and extra time if she and her husband must undergo mandatory quarantine.
“The economic downturn and the weakening of the ringgit are real. But I view this trip of a lifetime as a calling from the Almighty, which makes it an honour for me to go,” said the senior citizen.
She also added that she is very uncomfortable with Malaysia fully reopening its borders, citing rising cases in the United Kingdom and France as well as the fact that the virus is constantly mutating into more variants.
Those in prime of their lives far more gung-ho
In contrast, the fears that Chin and the future pilgrim exhibited about the virus seem to have no effect on those who are younger, even by those only roughly a decade younger than them.
Management consultant and leadership coach Shankar R. Santhiram said he cannot wait to travel, as he and his wife have already booked tickets for Europe.
“Personally, I look forward to travelling again. I have already bought my tickets for mid-April. And the delay isn’t anything to do with fear, but just work commitments. My wife is from Austria.
“We haven’t been back in over two years, so that’s where we’re heading first. But like before, when we travel, we will continue to visit places we are drawn to. And as always, how we get there, where we stay, and what we spend will be predicated on how much we can afford at the time,” said Shankar.
The 51-year-old added that it was about time Putrajaya reopened the borders seeing how other countries had reopened theirs earlier.
However, he did laud the Malaysian government for being cautious in protecting the security of its citizens, but it is time for everyone to learn to live with the virus.
Touching on the economic situation, Shankar admitted that the condition is not good and only those who did not have their finances slashed during the pandemic can afford the luxury.
“But if you can afford to travel, you were one of the lucky ones who had a job during the pandemic. And if you earned money through the last two years, you should have some savings, right? Since we were locked down.
“As far as luxury or the weakened ringgit go, Malaysians have always had to deal with this. Even going to Singapore, just a few miles from our border, means that everything is three times more expensive than here, even though we eat the same food and speak the same languages.
“So we’ll all adjust according to our means. The difficulties lie in the uncertainties surrounding what is required in terms of standard operating procedures and what can be expected when travelling,” said Shankar.
Experience overseas leads to calm reaction on border reopening
Sharing Shankar’s views was small business investor Gerald Tan Siew Heng, who insisted that he is “not at all wary” about borders reopening as his experience with Covid-19 is “quite different” from other Malaysians
Tan said he was in Patagonia, Argentina in March 2020, during the first global outbreak of Covid-19, and stayed in Houston, in the United States for about four months before returning to Malaysia in July that year.
“In Houston, people were quite casual about it, and so life was still fairly normal in Houston at the time. We just made sure to wear masks and sanitise and wash hands. We also travelled back to Malaysia when Covid-19 was fairly rampant and didn’t contract the virus all that time,” he said.
“I think the key is just ensuring that travellers are vaccinated and boosted, and that these are verified by a credible agency.”
Tan said as a business owner and Malaysian citizen, he is much more concerned about the socioeconomic impact of all the government restrictions as many businesses have not even begun to recover.
“It’s high time we’re back open for business and leisure,” he said.
“Other than this, I don’t think there’s much else that can reasonably be enforced that would be of much help to manage the risk.” – The Vibes, April 2, 2022
Additional reporting by A. Azim Idris
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