Separated by coronavirus: Malaysian mothers in Singapore freeze breast milk for babies at home

Picture: Pixabay

Picture: Pixabay

Published May 15, 2020

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SINGAPORE/JOHOR BARU - Before

the outbreak of coronavirus this year, Malaysian accountant

Jazerel See used to travel regularly between her country's

southern state of Johor and neighbouring Singapore where she

worked, going home once a week to her parents and her

seven-month-old boy.

But after Malaysia banned citizens from travelling overseas

in mid-March in a bid to stem the coronavirus outbreak, See and

hundreds of other Malaysian women were cut off from their

families if they wished to continue working, and unable to

breastfeed their newborn children.

See said the women, communicating via social media, then

pooled together funds to ship supplies of frozen breast milk to

their babies back home.

"We sought help from all the mummies and we tried to save

and share the cost, because it's not really cheap to send back

the milk," 32-year-old See told Reuters.

In Johor Baru town, her mother Wai Lan Moy said: "(I like

that the baby) is drinking her mother's breast milk, because

drinking breast milk is better for the baby's immune system.

It's easier to take care (of the baby) that way."

An estimated half a million Malaysians live and work in

Singapore, with thousands commuting regularly to the wealthy

city-state from Johor.

Although Malaysia allowed citizens to return, they have to

undergo two weeks of quarantine. Many of those working in

Singapore were reluctant to go back fearing the spread of the

virus as well as the risk of losing their jobs. Singapore also

set up restrictions of its own in late March, barring or

quarantining visitors.

"If I go back (to Malaysia) now, I might bring back the

virus," See said. "I keep telling myself to just bear it for a

moment to ensure a better future."

So far, four shipments totalling about 7,000 kilogrammes of

milk have been sent from 200 mothers in Singapore, Johor state

lawmaker Andrew Chen Kah Eng said. Such a shipment has never

been made before, he said.

"I talk to officers from CIQ (Customs, Immigration and

Quarantine), they have never done that before, even from

agriculture department, ministry of health and also customs,

they have never done that before.

"They are willing to help."

Singapore has among the highest number of coronavirus

infections in Asia, with more than 26,000 cases, mainly due to

outbreaks in cramped migrant-worker dormitories.

Malaysia had the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia

until mid-April but the daily rise in infections has steadily

declined since the curbs were imposed, with a total of around

6,800 reported so far. 

Reuters

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