The 36-year-old from Kampung Matang near here said having to deal with the criticism and the cold shoulder from his own people was much more painful.
Adli admitted that he and his family members had a tough time since one of them was identified as the index case in the Matang cluster, the largest Covid-19 cluster in the Hulu Terengganu district.
He said they had been the target of public anger for allegedly causing 127 individuals to be infected with Covid-19 and the cluster was reported to have spread to three other villages and reached its fifth generation.
“To the people in Hulu Terengganu, especially those in Telemong, my entire family and I are extremely sorry for the problems you are facing right now and for having to live in fear due to the fast spread of the disease.
“What happened was not intentional, and certainly it was not to hurt anyone. Our hope is that the public will stop punishing us as it is very emotionally depressing,” he said when contacted here today.
Adli said his brother-in-law had returned to Kampung Matang during Ramadan to ensure that his wife was undergoing confinement comfortably after giving birth to their child.
“He obtained police permission to travel interstate and even took a Covid-19 swab test and came back negative. Only God knows how he was infected with the disease.
“Soon after, one by one, 48 family members (including the brother-in-law’s family) were tested positive and were taken to hospital for treatment and to undergo quarantine at stipulated locations.
“Maybe we were careless while socialising, causing many of our family members to be infected,” he said.
Adli said the cold treatment that he and his family received from the villagers, even after they had fully recovered from the disease, was so bad that they considered moving out of the village.
“It was sad and frustrating when one of us wanted to buy some essential items from a sundry shop here but was totally ignored by the owner for fear of being infected with the virus, even when he convinced the owner that he had fully recovered.
“He ended up having to ask for permission from the authorities to go to a supermarket located far from his home just to avoid causing disharmony in the village,” Adli said.
He explained that the family did not blame the villagers for the cold treatment, saying it was just a misunderstanding over Covid-19.
“Despite being told that we are no longer infecting people, some of the villagers still find it difficult to accept us.
“But we have to be strong in facing this challenge and hope that everything will return to normal soon,” he added, while reminding all Malaysians to continue complying with the standard operating procedures to curb the spread of Covid-19 and also to avoid having to go through the same painful ordeal.
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