October 13, 2021, 05:10 PM
Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced on Oct. 10 that interstate travel will be allowed for fully vaccinated individuals from Oct. 11 onwards.
The decision came after Malaysia finally reached a 90 per cent vaccination rate among its adult population.
As a response to the news, Malaysians are documenting their excitement and sharing their responses online.
Waited till midnight
One Tiktok user, @acak_east, was unable to contain his excitement to travel to other states in Malaysia.
His video which was posted on the evening of Oct. 10, has garnered more than 86,000 likes and viewed over a million times.
The video captured a car parked on the roadside, just before the toll plaza heading to the state of Pahang, while he and another person were waiting for the clock to strike midnight so they can travel.
@acak_eastTugu kat Tol sampai pukul 1201am balik kampung ##fyp ##foryoupage ##foryou⬠bunyi asal - IbuFatimah Kassim
"The wait was painful, but it was worth it," he wrote on the video.
Emotional reunions
With the resumption of interstate travel, family members who have been living apart can now physically meet each other.
A Tiktok video uploaded by @tinaozair captured a sweet moment when her father finally met his elder brother after a long time.
@tinaozairBagai di rodak hati..Sedih time nie Allah saja tau...Masa nie Abah lama tak jumpa Abg dia. Sorang di raub sorang di alor star ##tiktok ##fyp ##kisahsedih⬠bunyi asal - ku punya hati
In the caption, she stated that her father was staying at Raub, Pahang while his brother was living in Alor Star, Kedah.
Other users were flooding the comment section, describing the emotional reunion as heartwarming, with some even said they were tearing up.
Videos as such were floating around Malaysian social media space tugged the heartstrings of viewers.
Since some of you already balik kampung, i saw a few videos of how they finally meet their parents, their loves one after a very long time not seeing each other. Such a emotional and nice video to watch π₯Ί And I just remember mine.
— NCT DREAM ISTJ MY GO π²πΎ| μλ§ β¨ (@chanwooriess) October 11, 2021
my youngest aunt just sent a voice note in the whatsapp gc, crying tears of joy cause she can finally balik kampung π she's the most manja sibling out of the six
— πππππ. (@coIacider) October 10, 2021
'Delayed' Hari Raya
Since some Malaysians felt that Hari Raya Aidilfitri earlier this year was "cancelled" due to the spike in Covid-19 infections and the subsequent restrictions, many took the opportunity to celebrate a "delayed" Hari Raya.
A Tiktok user @kezurulzalzal97 posted a video of him preparing common dishes served during Hari Raya, which has garnered more than 45,000 likes.
@kezurulzalzal97Esok raya ##Salamrentasnegeri ##fyppppppppppppppppppppppp ##tourism⬠Indahnya Beraya Di Desa - Azlina Aziz
In the video, he also wrote "Tomorrow is Hari Raya. Congratulations to my Malaysian citizens."
Meanwhile, Tiktok user @tyrael28 uploaded a video documenting her family preparing lemang, a rice dish prepared in bamboo, usually served during Hari Raya celebration.
@tyrael28##selamathariraya ##salamrentasnegeri ##staysafe⬠original sound - UniQSpecialBox
Another Tiktok user @thefaiskhan was also seen preparing Hari Raya dishes as she waited to meet her siblings after more than two years of not meeting them.
@thefaiskhan Korang masak apa je esok π #rentasnegeri #rentasnegeritidakdibenarkan β¬ original sound - UniQSpecialBox
Adhere to SOP
Even as Malaysians are allowed to travel, Minister of Health Khairy Jamaluddin took to Twitter to remind people to mask up and observe the standard operating procedures.
As we allow interstate travel to resume today, please remember this image. We are climbing down from the peak of disaster & despair. Letβs make sure there are no more peaks. Mask up, observe SOPs, practice TRIIS. #ReopeningSafely pic.twitter.com/88FIRDpZY8
— Khairy Jamaluddin π²πΎπΊ (@Khairykj) October 11, 2021
He said that Malaysia is "climbing down from the peak of disaster and despair," and hope that there are no more peaks in the future.
The Star also reported the health minister advising those who are travelling to test themselves for Covid-19 before embarking on their journey.
Follow and listen to our podcast here
Top images via @tinaozair/Tiktok
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.