Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic reached Malaysian shores in early 2020 leading to movement control order (MCO) and lockdowns imposed by the government to curtail the spread of the virus. As of mid April 2022, more than 4.38 million Malaysians were infected, out of a total population of 32.7 million and there have been more than 35,000 deaths. In addition to illness and deaths caused by the disease, the MCO and other restrictions have affected the whole society, in particular the urban poor and migrant workers.
This chapter analyses the impact of Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia with a focus on its effects on marginalised and poor people in urban areas, including the migrant workers. In addition, it evaluates government responses and initiatives to help the people, especially the marginalised groups. The main focus is on the effects of Covid-19 on these marginalised people, especially in urban areas and how the government initiatives have been able to help them to deal with the pandemic’s fallout.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdul Hamid, D. H. B. (2021). Policing the migrants in times of covid-19 Academia Letters, 2.
Ambrose, N. S (2020, May 13). Malaysia’s marginalised and Covid-19. The Asia Foundation. https://asiafoundation.org/2020/05/13
Asita, E. (2020). COVID-19 Outbreak in Malaysia. Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives, 11(3), 93–100.
Baah, F. O., Teitelman, A. M., & Riegel, B. (2019). Marginalisation: Conceptualizing patient vulnerabilities in the framework of social determinants of health—An integrative review. Nursing Inquiry, 26(1), e12268.
Bond, S. (2011). Negotiating a ‘democratic ethos’: Moving beyond the agonistic—Communicative divide. Planning Theory, 10(2), 161–186.
Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., & Rubin, G. J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395(10227), 912–920.
Cao, W., Fang, Z., Hou, G., Han, M., Xu, X., Dong, J., & Zheng, J. (2020). The psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on college students in China. Psychiatry Research, 287, 112934.
Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). (2020a). Special survey on the effects of COVID-19 on the economy and individuals (Round 1). Putrajaya. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cone&menu_id=a0dyT2d5UmFMNEZJVTlmL0k5cFJNZz09
Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). (2020b). Household income & basic amenities survey report 2019. Putrajaya. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=120&bul_id=TU00TmRhQ1N5TUxHVWN0T2VjbXJYZz09&menu_id=amVoWU54UTl0a21NWmdhMjFMMWcyZz09
Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). (2021). Household income estimates and incidence of poverty. Putrajaya. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cone&menu_id=a0dyT2d5UmFMNEZJVTlmL0k5cFJNZz09
Dewanto, P. A. (2020). Labouring situations and protection among foreign workers in Malaysia. Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.
Ecks, S., & Sax, W. S. (2005). The ills of marginality: New perspectives on health in South Asia. Anthropology & Medicine, 12(3), 199–210.
Elengoe, A. (2020). COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia. Osong Public Health and Research Perspective, 11(3), 93–100.
Hall, J. M., Stevens, P. E., & Meleis, A. I. (1994). Marginalisation: A guiding concept for valuing diversity in nursing knowledge development. Advances in Nursing Science, 16(4), 23–41.
Haris, A. W., Hahid, S. C., Siti Hajar, A. B., & Mohd Rashid, M. S. (2021). Handbook of research on the impact of COVID-19 on marginalised populations and support for the future. Universiti Malaya.
Havranek, E. P., Mujahid, M. S., Barr, D. A., Blair, I. V., Cohen, M. S., Cruz-Flores, S., & Prevention, C. E. (2015). Social determinants of risk and outcomes for cardiovascular disease: A scientific statement from the American heart association. Circulation, 132(9), 873–898.
Healey, P. (2012). Communicative planning: Practices, concepts, and rhetorics. Planning Ideas that matter: Livability, territoriality, governance, and reflective practice (p. 333). The MIT Press.
Hong, S., Hussain, R. B. M., & Wong, D. T. K. (2021). Risk and resilience among rural migrant workers in Mainland China during the COVID-19 pandemic and post COVID. In Handbook of research on the impact of COVID-19 on marginalised populations and support for the future (pp. 185–205). IGI Global.
Jun, S. W. (2020). Movement control order not a lockdown, says former health minister. The Malay Mail, 3, 17.
Khan, N. A. (2021). Foreword. In A. W. Haris, S. W. Jahid, A. B. Siti Hajar, & M. S. Mohd Rashid (Eds.), Handbook of Research on the Impact of Covid-19 on Marginalized Populations and Support for the Future. IGI-Global.
Khalidi, R., & Muhamad, N. (2020). Covid-19 control: Break down foreign workers' barriers to care. Khazanah Research Institute.
Lim, L. L. (2020). The socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 in Malaysia: Policy review and guidance for protecting the most vulnerable and supporting enterprises. International Labour Organization.
Maboloc, C. R. (2021). Indigenous peoples in the midst of COVID-19: Populism and nationalism as impediments to global solidarity. In Handbook of research on the impact of COVID-19 on marginalised populations and support for the future (pp. 36–50). IGI Global.
Mia, M. A., & Griffiths, M. D. (2020). The economic and mental health costs of COVID-19 to immigrants. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 128, 23.
Ministry of Health Malaysia. (2022). Covid-19 cases in Malaysia. https://covidnow.moh.gov.my
Muzafar, P., & Kunasekaran, T. (2020). The impact of Covid-19 on the urban poor: Three major threats-money, food and living conditions. Khazanah Research Institute.
Nel, E., & Pelc, S. (Eds.). (2020). Responses to geographical marginality and marginalisation. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51342-9
Omar, N., & Jasni, M. A. (2021). Challenges of the homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic: Situation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In Handbook of research on the impact of COVID-19 on marginalised populations and support for the future (pp. 153–166). IGI Global.
Pelc, S. (2017). Marginality and marginalisation. In R. Chand, E. Nel & S. Pelc (Eds.), Societies, social inequalities and marginalisation. Perspectives on geographical marginality. Springer.
Pelc, S., & Nel, E. (2020). Social Innovation And Geographical Marginality. In E. Nel & S. Pelc (Eds.), Responses to geographical marginality and marginalisation (pp. 11–21). Springer.
Prime Minister Office Malaysia. (2020). PRIHATIN economic stimulus package. https://www.pmo.gov.my
Purcell, M. (2009). Resisting neoliberalization: Communicative planning or counter-hegemonic movements? Planning Theory, 8(2), 140–165.
Qadeer, M. A. (2012). Urban development. In B. Sanyal, L. J. Vale, & C. D. Rosan (Eds.), Planning ideas that matter: Livability, territoriality, governance, and reflective practice (pp. 207–232). The MIT Press.
Rahman, S. (2020). Overcoming the odds and filling the gaps: Malaysian civil society responses to COVID-19. ISEAS—Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. https://www.iseas.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ISEAS_Perspective_2020_44.pdf
Rampal, L., & Liew, B. S. (2021). Malaysia’s third COVID-19 wave-a paradigm shift required. The Medical Journal of Malaysia, 76(1), 1–4.
Staff, W. (2019). Malaysia budget 2020 highlights: All HR and manpower developments. https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/malaysia-budget-2020-highlights-all-hr-and-manpowerdevelopments
Syed, N. K., Al-kasim, M. A., Alqahtani, S., Meraya, A. M., Syed, M. H., Elnaem, M. H., & Griffiths, M. D. (2022). Migrant workers, migrants, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers and refugees—The silent sufferers of the COVID19 pandemic: A brief review of media reports. Journal of Concurrent Disorders, 1–15.
The Malay Mail. (2021, December 13). Profits over people: Covid-19 overruns top glove factories as workers speak of appalling accommodations. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/12/13/profits-over-people-virus-overruns-top-glove-factories/1931471
Think City. (2020). Preserving lives and livelihoods a guide for Malaysian policy makers. https://thinkcity.com.my/wp/wpcontent/uploads/2020/03/Think-City-Covid-19-Crisis-A-guide-for-Malaysianpolicymakers-2020_03_27-Final.pdf
United Nations. (2019). Universal values principle two: Leave no one behind. https://unsdg.un.org/2030-agenda/universal-values/leave-no-one-behind
United Nations. (2020a). COVID-19 to add as many as 150 million extreme poor by 2021. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020a/10/07/covid-19-to-add-as-many-as-150-million-extreme-poor-by-2021
United Nations. (2020b). Projected poverty impacts of COVID-19 (coronavirus). https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/projected-poverty-impacts-of-COVID-19
United Nations. (2021). https://stories.undp.org/10-things-we-all-should-know-about-indigenous-people
WHO. (2017). Health is a fundamental human right. https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/health-is-a-fundamental-human-right
WHO. (2020). Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf
World Bank. (2021). Indigenous People. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/indigenouspeoples#1
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Abdullah, J., Marzukhi, M.A. (2022). The COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia: Its Impacts on the Poor and Migrant Workers Communities in Urban Areas. In: Fuerst-Bjeliš, B., Nel, E., Pelc, S. (eds) COVID-19 and Marginalisation of People and Places. Perspectives on Geographical Marginality, vol 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11139-6_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11139-6_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-11138-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-11139-6
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)