KUALA LUMPUR: Rajan Giri of Gorkha has been staying at the hostel for a month and a half after the restaurant he was working was closed due to the risk of coronavirus infection.
He has been counting days hoping that the coronavirus will end and he will get to work.
Giri says, “I have been told that the restaurant will open once coronavirus ends. I am tired of staying in a hostel. I can’t go home or work.”
But, Mohan Adhikari who works as a security guard in a residential area of Malaysia is too busy.
Malaysia has been enforcing the movement control order since March 19 to prevent coronavirus infection which has put employment of many Nepalis at risk, BCC Nepali reported.
Other Nepalis like Adhikari of Tanahun who are going for work regularly are afraid of coronavirus infection.
Adhikari says, “There are a lot of people moving around every day. I have to measure the temperature of the people.
It’s very scary to work with a mask and a pair of gloves”.
According to the Nepali embassy in Malaysia, there are 325,000 Nepalis in foreign employment.
Despite the movement control order, many industries and factories have been operating. Electrical and daily consumer goods, healthcare and safety-related industries are in operation.
According to government officials, the industry can only be run by adhering to all other criteria related to social distancing, safe service and safety to avoid infection.
Eleven Nepalis infected
As of Sunday afternoon, 6,298 people had been infected with the coronavirus and 4,413 had recovered, according to figures released by the Malaysian Ministry of Health.
Of the infected, 811 are foreign nationals and 11 of them are Nepalis.
According to the Nepali Embassy, two of the infected Nepalis have recovered while the rest are undergoing treatment and their condition is normal.
Coronavirus has killed 105 people in Malaysia so far.
Hundreds of immigrants arrested
Hundreds of workers have been arrested in Malaysia on International Workers’ Day.
According to the local news portal The Malay Mail, the administration arrested 596 illegal immigrants on May 1.
But a Nepali embassy official told the BBC there were no Nepalis among those arrested.
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