MY handphone was hit by a barrage of WhatsApp messages from residents at Country Heights Apartments in Kota Kinabalu on the eve of the enhanced lockdown.
“Will police accept employer letters?” was among the messages that bogged the group throughout yesterday.
The group of residents from 850 units at the apartment complex were in a state of total confusion as they waited (still awaiting at press time) for the announcement on standard operating procedures issued by the National Security Council.
At the time of writing, the WhatsApp messages had run to over 500 as I set the WhatsApp group settings to silent mode. The constant pinging was truly unbearable.
Worse still, it was roughly 15 residents in the WhatsApp group that created so much fuss as their concerns sparked so much confusion and uneasiness over the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) measures in their vicinity.
Over 200 members of the WhatsApp group remained silent as the “noisy ones” peppered the chat group with their thoughts and concerns.
As a Country Heights resident for the past nine years, it was certainly worrying when the dreaded announcement came that my residential complex, along with another apartment complex, Vista Minintod, will be under the EMCO from June 16 to June 29.
The Sabah health authorities had earlier reported 18 positive cases of Covid-19 at Country Heights after 25 individuals were screened.
Apparently it had not been identified as a cluster, yet I had observed the general hospital van going in and out of the complex in the past few days.
A neighbour of mine surprised everyone in the WhatsApp group with photos of the ambulance and health workers ferrying a family from the apartment complex.
This occurrence was not the first time though. In May last year, an ambulance also picked up a family of three at one of the residential blocks, sparking mass anxiety within the group.
Prior to the lockdown, a friend who wishes to remain anonymous had been complaining incessantly about her boss who insisted that all staff should turn up for work. Following the EMCO announcement, she now tells me her wish had come true.
“That’s the power of the law of attraction,” she declared to me cheerfully.
“My boss had been insisting that everyone turn up at the meeting. This was despite the authorities having instructed that only 60% of staff can turn up at the office.
“I think he had violated SOPs. I wish I could complain to the authorities,” she told me.
My friend persisted in saying that everyone should work from home, instead of only the handful who have been told to do so.
By evening, it had become evident that some of the neighbours had decided to escape the lockdown. The usually unused padlocks at their house grills were locked in place, a sign that they had already evacuated their premises.
I then contacted the neighbour and quizzed him on his decision to leave his home. My neighbour retorted: “Yes, I have to bro. If not, I have to close shop for two weeks. I can’t afford that.”
At night, it was evident that some of the car park lots were already empty, suggesting some residents had long left to escape the impending lockdown.
Meanwhile, restaurant and stall operators at the commercial area below the apartment complex could be seen trying to make a quick sale, knowing they would have to close shop.
“Last day, tuan,” said an Indian Muslim restaurant operator. “At this point, we are unsure whether we can open for business or not. The SOPs have not been released yet,” he added.
In front of his restaurant, a white canvas canopy had already been installed and three plain-clothed individuals, believed to be police officers, could be seen sitting under it.
“The block will begin at midnight. Both entry points to the apartment complex will be closed. No one will be allowed out unless they have the required papers,” a policeman said when approached.
As the shops and commercial area located below my apartment complex are closed in anticipation of EMCO, I guess the notifications from the residential groups are going to be a source of entertainment, not by choice though.
Time to hone my cooking skills. – The Vibes, June 16, 2021
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