Some of the package’s key highlights were as follows:

• RM500 million for Health Ministry to ramp up its capability and resources.

• Government raises special allowance for healthcare workers from RM400 to RM600 a month from April 1 to end of pandemic.

• Additional special allowance of RM200 a month for frontliners from police, immigration, and customs.

• Free Internet from April onwards until the end of MCO.

• Government, together with TNB, will add an allocation of RM530 million for discounts between 15% and 50% for electricity usage up to a maximum of 600kW a month for six months from the April bill.

• RM1,600 in aid to households earning below RM4,000, with RM1,000 paid in April and RM600 in May.

• National Caring Aid (Bantuan Prihatin Nasional) involving one-off cash payment of RM10 billion will be given to the B40 and M40 groups, including private workers, farmers, and fishermen. This includes RM1,600 to four million households earning RM4,000 and below; RM1,000 for households earning RM4,000 above; RM800 for single Malaysians aged 21 and above earning RM2,000 and below; RM500 for single Malaysians aged 21 and above earning between RM2,000 and RM4,000.

• RM200 one-off aid to students of higher education institutions who are affected.

• Government pensioners to receive RM500 one-off cash aid payment.

• Exemption of rental payment for PPR and public housing for six months.

• Insurance and takaful companies will set a RM8 million fund to bear Covid-190 screening test costs of up to RM300 each for policyholders.

• Government and Bank Negara will set additional allocation of RM4.5 billion for SME and micro entrepreneurs, which will comprise five initiatives. Presumably the mechanics and requirements associated with these five initiatives will be announced soon.

• One-off payment of RM500 for 120,000 e-hailing drivers nationwide with a total allocation of RM60 million. This is in addition to the RM600 one-off aid announced for taxi drivers that was announced in the previous stimulus package.

• Government will pay the salaries ordinarily borne by contractors involved in the service sector, such as cleaning services and supply of cooked food in government agencies.

• Government will introduce a wage subsidy of RM600 a month for three months for employers who have had a 50% drop in business since January 1, for workers with a salary of below RM4,000.

• Government will continue all projects allocated in Budget 2020, including ECRL, MRT2, and the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) in line with its focus to ensure sustainable economic development.

• The Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) levy exempted for all sectors for six months starting April 2020.

• Federal government premises such as school canteens, nurseries, cafeteria, and convenience stores exempted from rent for six months.

The post Malaysian PM Announces RM250B Covid-19 Relief Package appeared first on ExpatGo.

One comment captured the situation perfectly: We knew it was coming, but we weren’t mentally prepared for it.

In wake of the initial two weeks of imposed social distancing, many were plunged into uncertainty and additional stress. Apart from being expected to continue functioning professionally, those with families were shouldered with additional roles of socialising and caring for members without heed for ‘office hours’.

The extension by three weeks with foreseeable stricter movement controls dampened hopes of people continuing with routine life, and even leave some with more concerns than contracting COVID-19.

Mental health is bound to deteriorate with these sudden changes, so here are some tips to hopefully keep the anxiety at bay.

Socialising

As naturally social beings, we need to establish some solid means of keeping in contact with people we care about. This can range from having meals together, or checking in every now and then with those confined to separate areas.

Diversifying communication also helps, as texting can sometimes leave one feeling a little more isolated than intended. Calling someone up and hearing their voice can directly affect moods, and the modern messaging of tagging each other in social media posts can help bring in some much needed humour and support.

External sources

You’ve probably noticed by now that the surge in online activities include many taking to exploring simple recipes and sharing challenges in fitness and creativity.

Gaining a new thing to focus on during your isolation will help you maintain a sense of little excitement and passion, and can be as simple as watching a movie you haven’t had time for, or reorganising your closet.

The more diverse your external sources of focus are beyond work and household, the more durable your resilience will be against stress as you will be able to shift focus and not succumb to muddled, negative thoughts.

For the elderly who do not have office work to catch up on, a healthy supply of puzzles and reading material is highly encouraged to keep the mind active and thinking.

Sleep Patterns

While this may be the most important factor in keeping a sane schedule, many will falter with the disorganisation, and end up with irregular sleeping habits.

Bad sleep has been linked to a myriad of problems including poor eating habits, mood swings, bodily pains, damaged mental health and low productivity.

Health experts have advised to keep to an especially strict schedule when it comes to getting enough hours at the proper time, and to properly disconnect and digest prior to winding down. If you think you can make up for late nights by sleeping during the day, be warned that many minute factors, such as temperature, digestive activity, and even environmental sounds can affect quality of your sleep.

Balanced and Healthy Diet

Oftentimes, a response to anxiety and stress is an increase in appetite. This is because your mind becomes a little overactive, triggering some hormonal metabolism. “Eating because you are bored” can become a problem, and can severely disrupt proper intakes of sugar and salt.

No, we’re not telling you to completely avoid snacking in between meals, but you must develop a consciousness as to what your go-to coping munchies are. Work in more fruit and nuts into your diet, and your body will thank you in the long run.

And for those who face a lower appetite in the event of ongoing stress, rather than force down a plate of rice, try eating in smaller portions, or replacing that meal with easier digestible items such as fruit and cereal.

This is also a good time to figure out how your body functions. Some people actually feel more functional with a vegetarian diet, while others might discover that eating two meals a day instead of three works better with their lifestyles. Keep comfort food such as deep-fried stuff for a once-a-week treat, and up that nutritional intake with greens and steamed foods!

Filtering news

As much as we’d like to change the subject, concerns about the global status of COVID-19, our country’s economical and political health, as well as the latest status of our jobs can easily become overwhelming.

The trick here is to seek being informed but not overpowered. It takes some practice, but catching yourself just before that impulsive reaction to growl at some new idiocy published can help behavioral management in the long run.

Also, to people dealing with family members who over-indulge in WhatsApp news (a.k.a. conspiracies and “home-remedies”), we can only wish you to remember that patience is a virtue, and communication skills will be tested. Remember the point above! Enforce strategic communication techniques, and resist resorting to shouting matches.

Coping activities

There will be days when you will not feel functional or productive, which is completely understandable. But rather than allowing yourself to be consumed by the frustration, switch up your routine! Activeness and pacing comes into play, and with a little primary-level timetabling, you can regain power over your day by moving on to the next thing.

In regards to the bigger picture, performing an altruistic exercise of reminding yourself why the need to coop up indoors can help. There are members of your household you need to protect, and members of other households you would rather not catch the virus.

For families with children and pets, understanding and dealing with current events, work stress, and other areas will process differently. Managing your own anxiety can have positive effects on these family members, and one thing to remember is that you are all in this together.

Post-Quarantine

In the event of COVID-19 getting to a manageable level and hopefully eradicated, many things will not be as they once were.

Already a massive financial loss has been recorded beyond the travel and hospitality industry, affecting event companies, advertisers, and F&B. Children will be behind in syllabus-based education, and based on previous mass quarantine measures such as during the smallpox outbreak in 1972 Yugoslavia, a good percentage of the population is in danger of developing some form of PTSD and addiction problems.

Avoidance behaviours, dependency issues, stigma, and competency will fluctuate negatively, and recovering as a nation will not come without a few hiccups.

It is hard to know what exactly to be prepared for, and to be prepared for anything and everything. But combined with the tips shared above, maintaining a sense of routine and normalcy will help you process and respond to future issues rationally, and your mental health will be equipped to handle whatever’s coming next.

For those who need a little more assistance in managing anxiety and other problems, please do not hesitate to seek professional guidance.

The post Care for Your Mental Health During the Movement Control Order appeared first on ExpatGo.

There are a number of people living here with a Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) visa, people who have chosen to make Malaysia their home and place of permanent residence. Under the existing Movement Control Order (MCO) these residents are now being denied entry to the country simply because they do not hold a Malaysian passport.

These MM2Hers are generally older people who are retired, notably because the programme does not allow people to work in Malaysia with very few exceptions. A few people have jobs overseas and use Malaysia as a base.

The MM2H programme has over the years attracted over 40,000 people and the government often talks about it as successful programme; however there is big difference between the people who acquire the visa and occasionally visit and those who apply so they can relocate their home and their lives here.

Many people who hold the 10-year MM2H visa do not actually make their home in Malaysia. These occasional visitors adds to the number of approved applicants, so people can say the programme is a success but most of them do very little to help the Malaysian economy.

The second group, however, have set up homes here and collectively contribute billions of ringgit to the economy; something the country really needs right now. They buy houses here, buy cars and other capital items like furniture and household equipment. On average, based on research TEG Media conducted  in 2019, MM2Hers living here spend around RM10,000 a month – or around RM120,000 a year – in the country. It is easy to see how, when you have a few thousand people like this, its very good news for the economy of Malaysia. Our research also revealed that 60% of the people who have relocated here plan to spend the rest of their lives here. In other words, they have chosen to make Malaysia their permanent home.

But now the government is inexplicably turning its back on this group.

One of the many things people like about living here is the ability to take vacations to the many interesting countries surrounding Malaysia. At the time of the implementation of the MCO, a number of MM2Hers were out of the country, certainly never thinking that the government would not let them come back to their homes.

Now some are stranded overseas with nowhere to go and the immigration authorities refuse to let them back into their homes because the government says they are not welcome. They have done the same to people with employment passes, but they are generally not facing the same problems as the MM2Hers who live here permanently. All the immigration officers have to do is ask the MM2H or employment pass holder if they have a permanent home here and if they do, give them the same Covid-19 screening given to Malaysian citizens, and ask them to stay home for a few weeks. But they will not.

We are only talking about 100 or so people, and we cannot understand why no one cares about them now the country has a health problem.

Apart from the sheer inhumanity of not letting them return to their homes, this is a terrible message to send the international community about the Malaysia My Second Home programme. They were enthusiastically welcomed, met the stringent terms of the visa, and are the ones who gave the most to the country by making it their permanent home – and they are now being refused entry back into the homes they created here.

TEG Media, and specifically its CEO Andy Davison, have been involved with the MM2H programme for many years, and are now trying hard to get the government to change this policy and at least allow those MM2Hers back into the country who own or rent a home here. It’s very hard to understand why they are not permitted to do the self-isolation in their own homes.

If you or someone you know is being adversely affected by the Malaysian government’s decision to bar MM2Hers and resident expats from re-entry into the country, please drop us a line at editor@tegmedia.my.

In the meantime, we will continue our efforts to persuade the government to reconsider this unfortunate and confusing decision.

The post An Appeal to the Government: Don’t Shut Out MM2Hers from Malaysia appeared first on ExpatGo.