“I have to play my part as the people’s representative in Johor Bahru,” said Chen.
“They don’t know how to work the video chat but I do call them every week to check on them, their health, whether they have enough money and grocery supplies,” said Abdul Razak. "One case which left a deep impression on my team was a father who was separated from his young children and pregnant wife for months. He was understandably very anxious to return home, and we were glad to see them eventually reunited," said Singh.
Some of them could not bear to be separated from their families, while others were terminated from their companies as the economic impact of COVID-19 hit both countries hard.In September, Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower announced that retrenchment in the first half of the yearthan what was recorded during the SARS period. The retrenchment in the second quarter had also doubled from the first quarter of 2020.
Noor Hanif had initially stayed in Singapore after the borders were shut so that he could continue working, but his company was struggling and had to lay off most of its workers who were foreigners. Pemas president Dayalan Sreebalan has helped many Malaysians who are suffering financially after some of them lost their jobs in Singapore. Many of them have been unable to find new jobs in Singapore because of COVID-19 border restrictions and their expired work permits. Moreover, they are also unable to find jobs in Johor because employers are less willing to hire workers who have worked in Singapore.
In September, Hasni said Johor's economy has continued to contract, with the southern state expected to record its lowest gross domestic product growth in the last decade.READ: From malls to hotels, the Singaporean haunts that have gone quiet in Johor Bahru amid COVID-19
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