But it’s not all been doom and gloom. While it may not get as much press time as it deserves, there are many Malaysians who have stepped up and shown random acts of kindness, sometimes to complete strangers in these tough and sad times.
Here are some everyday superheroes that will definitely restore your faith in humanity again.
1. Offering grocery shopping services for the elderly
Fellow Malaysian Simitha has offered to shop for groceries and even pay bills for elderly folks so they don’t have to leave their homes.
“I was just trying to help those who I felt was most affected by this lockdown,” said Simitha.
2. Going the extra mile to help a security guard
While everyone was rushing to fill up their pantries, Meera instead took the extra effort to purchase groceries for her Nepalese security guard.
He was extremely grateful to her and said that because of her kindness, he wouldn’t have to worry for the next two weeks about food.
“It’s simple things that don’t take up much of our time, effort or money,” said Meera.
3. A kind gesture at the grocery store
Umar, who was queuing to pay for his groceries noticed an elderly couple in front of him struggling to find enough cash to pay their bill, so he helped them settle the bill.
“There weren’t many groceries to be honest. It was just a small pile, just nice for two people so I guessed they lived alone without any kids or grandkids,” commented Umar.
4. The circle of giving
Swan Liew, who is a freelancer anticipated that she would have no income coming her way due to the Movement Control Order.
However one of her clients insisted that despite the ruling, they would continue to pay her.
She in return paid the good deed forward by paying her cleaners and telling them to stay safe at home.
5. Ensuring the food delivery guys are fed too
Food delivery guys are definitely among the many frontliners having to serve the community while risking their lives and health. Thus, it’s always nice to buy your delivery man or woman some food too.
Thushendra, who has been relying on food delivery makes it a point to order an extra meal so that the delivery guys can have some food before continuing with their next deliveries.
6. Brightening up the world with some colour
Ravinder Kaur of Explore Gaia gave out free colouring sheets to not only kids but also adults, hoping a little colour might brighten up their lives during all the doom and gloom of the Covid-19 outbreak.
7. Donating masks and hand sanitisers to those who need it most
People are rushing to buy masks and hoarding them instead of saving it for those who really need it.
Worried about his friend who still had to report to work despite the MCO, Wee Chin donated a sufficient amount of masks to him.
Wee Chin even went as far as delivering hand sanitisers to a friend all the way in Miri, Sarawak.
8. Making sure people around her are taken care of
Kavita, who works as a freelancer has been facing difficulty securing work because her students are from Korea and Singapore.
Instead of feeling down, she bought some supplies, cooked food, and donated disinfectants and masks to her cleaners as well as the security guards at her apartment.
“Even though things might be a little down for me at the moment, someone else is always going through much worse so I do what I can to ease their burden,” said Kavita.
9. Taking care of those unaware of the situation
Administration staff Ammala discovered that the security guard, cleaner and gardener at her condominium were oblivious about the Covid-19 outbreak and therefore did not shop for essential items.
They were not even provided with masks or hand sanitisers despite working all day.
Ammala and her colleague quickly got into action, ringing-up their bosses to ensure they were supplied with proper masks, hand sanitisers, gloves and enough food to last for two weeks.
This pandemic may have unleashed the ugly side of humanity but it has also shown that kindness will always prevail.
For now, everyone can practise a bit of kindness and responsibility by staying indoors and taking care of their health.
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