COVID-19 and MCO Resources for Malaysians

Our lives have changed drastically in such a short span of time and it can be overwhelming to deal with such a change. Some of us are lucky enough to still have our jobs, but there are large parts of our society that are now out of work. For some, having our children at home means that they’re not learning maths and science in school. For others, the inactivity and lack of social interaction can creep up on us and weigh on our emotions.

And it’s also hard to keep up with all of the news surrounding COVID-19 and what you can do to help yourself and others during this time. You may not know where and how to start adapting to these changes so I’ve decided to compile every piece of resource I can find to help all of us get through this shitstorm together.

If you would like to contribute to this resource hub, fill out this Google Form and I’ll add your resource to this post.

Financial assistance and personal finance resources

• FREE webinar by Xi Yuan of No Money Lah – Discover investing opportunities from threats in the stock market. Held on 7 April (Tuesday) at 8.30pm
• How to apply for Bantuan Prihatin National financial aid
• Comprehensive list of what’s in the economic stimulus package
• Income tax deadline extended to June 30
• Apply for EPF i-Lestari RM500 withdrawal
• How BNM’s 6-month moratorium works
• Fill out this form for AKPK’s debt management program/financial education/new repayment arrangement
• RM1 MEPS fees waived
• TNB electricity bill discount
• How to manage the money you get from the economic stimulus program
• How much you could potentially receive and save by optimising all the financial aids available to you
• Investing for women free class by Dahlia Wealth (Instagram sign-up)
• Insurance companies COVID-19 coverage comparison
• Additional financial support for SMEs under Pakej Prihatin Tambahan

Jobs and employment opportunities

• 20 best stay-at-home jobs and how to start working from home
• Work from Home: Where to find online jobs and how to get started

Food and groceries

• HappyFresh – Klang Valley
• Tesco Online – Klang Valley, Johor Bahru, Melaka, Penang, Seremban, Ipoh
• Bungkusit – Food and parcel delivery in Klang Valley, Johor Bahru, Melaka, Penang
• RedTick – Klang Valley
• Big Box Asia – Nationwide
• Groove Grocer – Klang Valley
• My Fishman (Klang Valley) – Buy fish online for reals. Here’s a review if you want to be sure the fish is fresh before buying.
• Southern Rock Seafood (Bangsar/Damansara) – Fresh seafood with discounts during the MCO
• Sembang (Kota Damansara/Damansara/Puchong/Puchong/Subang USJ) – food delivery for individuals and families. And if you’re looking to contribute, they deliver to frontline/orphanages/homes as well. Drop them a message on Facebook.

*Note – some of these online delivery services don’t have enough capacity to keep up with the high demand right now, so be prepared for deliveries to arrive much later than usual

Discounts and deals

• Shopback cashback for groceries and food delivery – (use my referral link to sign up if you haven’t already)
• Bonus cashback and vouchers on Grab for Standard Chartered and UOB credit card

Charity and donations

• Facebook group Caremongering Malaysia – A community movement to help deliver groceries and supplies to the elderly
• All the COVID-19 response initiatives can be found on https://kitajagakita.com/
• Festival Duduk Rumah online fundraising concert to support the frontliners – https://www.facebook.com/FesDuRu/
• Food Aid Foundation – They rescue surplus food from the supply chain and distributing it to people in need. They’re on Facebook and Instagram under the same name. Or you can email them at info@foodaidfoundation.org / foodaidfoundation@gmail.com. Or call at 0392265500.

Mental health resources

• Check out my list of mental health options in Malaysia
• Free meditation resource from Calm and Headspace
• Care for your virus anxiety
• Mercy Malaysia Facebook lives
• Mercy Malaysia support hotline – 03-2935 9935
• Befrienders hotline – 03-79568145
• Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) hotlines – 011-63996482 / 011-63994236 / 03-29359935

Education resources

• SPMflix – Free online SPM tuition from 1 to 14 April
• PT3flix– Free online PT3 tuition from 3 to 14 April
• Read for free on Scribd
• https://www.fullamark.com.my/ – One month free trial for UPSR, PT3 and SPM materials
• 450 Ivy League online courses for FREE
• Udemy resource centre for 150 free online courses

Health and fitness resources

• New Waves Instagram lives with fitness instructors
• Studios that are doing Instagram live workouts – Support local fitness instructors and studios!
• 1 month free for Kayla Itsines BBG workout (sign up by 7 April) https://www.sweat.com/

Entertainment and hobbies

• So I’m Jenn does Instagram lives featuring special guests – Every day at 7pm
• Online performing arts classes compiled by KLPAC
• Free performing arts online streaming compiled by KLPAC

Others

• COVID-19 mobility reports by Google
• Malaysia COVID-19 Survival Info Facebook Group – a lot of information curated and shared in this community group covering how to get tested, how to practice hygiene and social distancing, how to cope with difficulties due to COVID-19 and MCO, debunking fake news.

Hope this helps! If you have any more suggestions, you can also send them to me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.