Lyna Mohamad

After having successfully com-pleted her 14 days of isolation at Mulia Hotel, student Farah Aishah binti Shaiful Arief could not wait to reunite with her family and exclaim: “Home at last!”

Farah and her brother were among the first batch of Bruneian students who underwent a 15-day isolation at designated centres since their return from the United Kingdom (UK) on March 20.

The first-year undergraduate student at Cass Business School, City University London admitted that there were rare moments when she felt bored but her coursework and tests kept her busy, along with phone calls to her friends and family.

“Overall, I was satisfied that I got to self-reflect and relax over the two weeks, as well as catching up with school work,” she said.

Farah Aishah added, “I would like to thank the government, in particular the Ministry of Health (MoH), Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Royal Brunei Police Force and the staff at Mulia Hotel for keeping me safe. I received nothing but kindness from the staff throughout my stay. I am very pleased with the experience overall.”

Fellow student in the UK, Shaun Lim Tze Wei, also arrived home on March 20. He left for the UK on March 18, then transited in Dubai and Kuala Lumpur before reaching Brunei the following day. However, his flight was cancelled, leaving him no choice but to stay the night at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

It was then that he heard on the news that the MoH had mandated that all Bruneian students overseas and travellers be put in self-isolation for 14 days at hotels around the country.

During his time at Mulia Hotel, he focussed on school assignment and keeping fit, while keeping in touch with his friends and family.

“The isolation period taught me how important it is to stay physically and mentally healthy, and also how crucial it is to maintain good hygiene,” said the year-one undergraduate student in prosthetics and orthotics at the University of Strathclyde.

He added, “I would like to express my sincerest thanks and heartfelt gratitude and appreciation towards the Government of Brunei for acting so swiftly in recalling Bruneian students from overseas during this pandemic, and all the frontliners for working around the clock to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.”

Meanwhile, Fatin Hayati binti Haji Hamzah, a second-year undergraduate student in economics at University of Southampton expressed her gratitude to the government for tending to the welfare of Bruneian students overseas.

She said as soon as the flight touched down in Brunei, personnel from several government agencies were ready to transfer her and fellow students to their respective isolation centres and prioritising their health and safety throughout the isolation period.

She said, “I made sure to take care of myself and relax because often times, news about this pandemic can get overwhelming. It was especially important to take care of my mental and physical health.”

Overall, Fatin said, her experience at the isolation centre was pleasant and extended her gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the Brunei Government, par-ticularly the Ministry of Education (MoE) and MoH, Mulia Hotel, Royal Brunei Airlines staff, volunteers and other agencies for ensuring the safety and well-being of Bruneian students.

She also applauded the govern-ment’s efforts in protecting the society from the coronavirus outbreak through measures such as enforcing the isolation requirement.

Fatin believed such strict measures to mitigate the spread provided reassurance to her and other citizens.

“God Willing, I will be socially responsible to ensure the health and well-being of myself and the people around me.”

Royal Brunei cadet pilot Abdul Matin bin Madani found his time in quarantine to be interesting as it made him appreciative of the efforts from the government and the public in prioritising the measures against the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

“It is so amazing to be treated to a comfortable room with food, Internet connection and assistance from the hotel reception,” he said. “Some people may not be able to stand being confined in a room for 14 days, but for me, it passed by quickly.”

However, Abdul Matin bin Madani, a admitted being anxious during the first few days while awaiting his results from the lab following a swab test for COVID-19. Once found to be negative of COVID-19, the rest of his stay was a breeze.

“I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to His Majesty’s Government, medical frontliners and the hotel management, as well as the volunteers, for everything that they have done to keep me and the others comfortable and well,” he said.