The transformation status of hotels to quarantine centre in Malaysia

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the status of hotels in Malaysia was transformed into quarantine centre. Before the pandemic, hotels were used to accommodate tourists/visitors and is seen as an architectural space that provides facilities for leisure purposes. Meanwhile, during the pandemic, the status of hotels was transformed into a place that accommodates Person Under Surveillance (PUS) whose health is undergoing investigation. The status of an individual as a citizen/permanent resident who travelled from abroad will be temporarily transformed from a free individual into PUS where the movement of each individual was restricted for at least 14 days. The hotel which is a place for freedom has been used as a ‘jailed’ or restrict the freedom of an individual. Besides, using a hotel as a quarantine centre will help to boost up the economy of the hotel's industry. 

We, as a Person Under Surveillance (PUS) who travelled back to Malaysia during Phase 7 of RMCO were required to serve the mandatory quarantine upon the arrival in Malaysia. During the phase 7 of RMCO, PUS was required to pay for a hotel room to be quarantined for 14 days. When we arrived in Malaysia, all PUS was required to undergo the swab test at the airport before passing the immigration. After that, the officer will inform us on our stay and we will shortly be escorted by the police to the hotel to proceed with the check-in procedure. More queuing and forms filling were required during the hotel check-in process. After paying and checking in the hotel, the quarantine will then begins.

While we were in the room, we hardly feel the time change, the outdoor temperature, humidity and even the natural light as the window and curtain block us from all these. Besides, due to the unpredictable time change and being put in a limited space (a room), it is difficult for us to adjust our jetlag and it somehow makes it worse. We have tried out a lot of ways to keep ourselves busy and productive in order to adjust to the jetlag but it doesn't seem working as we believe that it will always be better to adjust one's jetlag with the contact of outdoor activities and the environment. From our quarantine experience, the food that was provided by the hotel management is surprisingly good as compared to what we thought and the information we got from the Facebook group post shared by the other PUS. The taste and portion are beyond the expectation, perhaps we are the lucky ones. As we are doing nothing in the room, getting meals according to the scheduled time become an excitement for us. To kill the time, we do a lot of sketching, planning, and also exercise to keep our body healthy. Internet do help in many sense, we couldn't even imagine that staying in a room for 2 weeks without the internet as it is the only entertainment we have. Let imagine if we are not staying in a hotel but shopping mall, library or even army base, it will be extremely interesting as we can explore these public space more controversially. Throughout the 14 days in a room, the only connection for us to connect with the outside world is only through the window and the peephole . As a conclusion, the entire quarantine experience is not as bad as we imagine and we were very grateful to all the frontliners who sacrifice their time and put in all their effort to provide the best hospitality while keeping us safe and healthy.