Post-Covid-19 situation in Malaysia

Are there still any health measures in place in Malaysia? If so, what are they (wearing a mask, barrier measures, etc.)?

The mandate of wearing masks are lifted now. But the government has announced that it is up to th individual companies, restaurants, condos to make it mandatory in their premises.

Have you noticed any changes in the population's habits or behavior after the pandemic?

I haven't noticed any change in people's habits or behavior. But I have noticed that the prices have shot up and living in Malaysia has become expensive. Secondly, recently my wife experienced a chain snatching attempt. I know it is quite common in brickfields. But I am not sure if the chain snatching and theft has increased after the pandemic.

What is your new work rhythm: do you still work remotely or are you spending more time in the office?

I try to spend time in office rather than working from home. Just to make sure I don't work for the entire day. I try to complete my work at office and not to open the laptop after reaching home.

Have you changed your spending habits? If so, which ones?

Haven't changed my spending habits.

Despite this pandemic and its consequences, how do you see your future in Malaysia?

Though the expenses have shot up in Malaysia it is still a comfortable place to stay and I plan to spend few more years before moving back to India.

Do you have any advice for other expats and future expats on this new daily life in Malaysia?

Always be happy and roam around the whole Malaysia to enjoy their food and nature.

This is so complicated I cant even sort it out.

You have two things going at the same time-- the local reaction to Covid and the expat reaction and at least to some extent they are intertwined but are giving different results.

The average expat stays in his job, friends, circle and unless they left in March, 2020 as so many did, they remain largely intact today. But locals, what did so many get? Bankruptcy, divorce, suicide, mental illness, homelessness and the rest of it. In my area, most of the businesses that closed never returned. That directly impacted me for those businesses I depended on for my work and life. And, in my case, I lost my business, house, marriage, everything and at 69 years old, have to think how to start life all over again.

Did my spending and other habits change? Yes, completely, and largely because I went on believing (by force) that it was "only two more weeks to flatten the curve." Among locals, I see sour faces, the former happiness is gone. People are very worried about the future, cant really plan for anything as they did before. Its all up in the air.

So, to the extent an expat's life has changed depends on how isolated they were from the pandemic. I had a fully assimilated and integrated life so I was fully affected by everything that one could be. If I had a cocoon life of a condo and going to work at Petronas everyday, except for masks and movement restrictions I might not have even noticed there was a pandemic at all.

For newcomers to Malaysia, its hard to say whats coming. In some ways Covid has largely passed but the govt sees easy ways to control people going forward via internal "covid passport" systems in which lockdowns and other restrictive measures can be turned on and off at will, for any reason. For work and commerce, some areas of work simply go on, like the IT and oil industries while general commerce remains fully affected by inflation, the Ukraine war, banking failures and a global shift in habits like the push to end oil and electrify the world. Its a very sketchy time to consider a move to Malaysia. Reasons to come to Malaysia have to be more solid and focused than ever.

As a family of 3 having just moved to KL just weeks before Covid began to rage and the first lockdown occurred, it is safe to say that most of our three years spent here were with our faces behind masks.

To your first question, almost three years later now health care facilities still mandate wearing masks. Taxi drivers have the onus on whether they want to insist that their passengers wear them or not. Many don’t ask and some still do. Malls, restaurants, cafés etc in general don’t require them anymore.

Post pandemic while there is certainly a big sense of relief amongst the population in the ease up of rules and health SOPs, there is still some anxiety even during the common cold, flu or other such mild symptoms of general illness. I suspect this is something that may continue for a while. Mask wearing also seems to have become a norm some don’t want to put an end to. But it has not deterred people from wanting to travel again and airports and flights have filled up at lightening speed.

People are also in general trying to spend more time with family and loved ones - something that had been a huge casualty of the raging pandemic days and the expat community bearing the brunt of not being able to head back home to be with ailing family members.

I am a Freelance writer at the moment and post pandemic with two kids under the ages of 5 - it is difficult to get back to a full time job currently. But as a writer the ability to be able to work in cafés, restaurants and other locales that are fodder for motivation and inspiration has been great to be able to do again post pandemic.

My Husband has now gone back to the office on a daily basis - something that had completely stopped for him during the pandemic days and he would work from home daily for almost 2 years.

Regarding the spending habits, since we had managed to save money on travel and shopping etc during Covid, we were able to splurge a little bit in general we are balanced when it comes to spending - health related expenditure has seen an increase and travel trips to family back home too.

Our future here in Malaysia remains largely undisturbed as we continue to work toward staying here some more years. Our next destination is still up in the air but we see ourselves here for some more years and happily so.

My advice for future expats and other expats here would be to embrace new friends and the expat community here - the friendships that can be forged as a by product of living away from our families can be life-changing and lifelong. We have been through a covid pregnancy during the height of the Delta wave and we only managed to survive that because of the unyielding help and support of our expat friends here who have become like family.

That sense of community and connections in expat life and more so as it was during a pandemic when loneliness and lack of social connections can become overwhelming, is so important.

Also travel as much as you can with your kids in this part of the world. The learnings, parenting delights and strengthening of familial bonds are priceless and travel can be the best mitigator and healer of strained relationships especially during tough times.

Shaimohan,

Just curious. Its great that expats have helped you but you didnt mention any locals. Do you have local friends? In the case of pregnancy, older Malay women are tops at pregnancy care.

@cvco  hi and thanks for your comment. I have made some great local friends too and they have been helpful in a number of occasions too. As far as pregnancy and post birth help, I was put in touch with some Filipino ladies who were very helpful for me. But my Gynaec / obgyn was an older Indian- malaysian doctor and she was excellent.