KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — Travel restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 have put several Singaporean families in a tight spot as the closed borders made it harder to arrange for Malaysian nannies to care for their newborns during confinement.
In an article today, Singapore-based news agency Channel News Asia (CNA) detailed the struggles of new and expecting mothers in the republic as they try to secure the services of Malaysian nannies from confinement agencies who are said to be preferred for priced reasonably relative to their experience.
According to the report, the confinement agencies too are struggling to cope with soaring demand amid the pandemic.
Like many other countries, Malaysia and Singapore underwent a lockdown that lasted several months starting March that aimed to curb the spread of the coronavirus that restricted all international and even domestic travel.
While both countries have opened travel across the Johor Strait under the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) from August 17, crossing the border is still limited to those in “essential business and official purposes” for a maximum of 14 days.
Nannies are not listed as an essential service in Singapore.
“Since the beginning of MCO and circuit breaker, PEM has been receiving a high number of requests from clients to extend the service of their confinement nannies, but we are unable to fulfil [these requests] due to the lack of manpower and this is still going on until today,” Mishell Lee, senior business manager at Singapore-based PEM Confinement Nanny Agency (PEM), told CNA.
She explained that most of the Singapore new parents initially relied on flying in their own parents or hiring a local-based migrant domestic helper to assist them during the confinement period.
However, closed borders meant a change in plans with most of them then resorting to agencies such as PEM to hire these nannies, triggering the sudden spike in demand.
Lee said PEM can only accommodate half of the 400 requests at any one time, leaving them unable to fulfil the last minute soar in demand.
Other issues affecting supply include work permits that must be approved by Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM), along with mandatory Covid-19 testing and a 14-day self-quarantine measure if they entered Singapore before September 1.
For those arriving after September 1, they need to be tested but only serve seven days in isolation in centres designated by the Singaporean authorities.
Lee said even after obtaining a nanny, the usual 28-day period a helper would be assigned was insufficient for new parents, but many still fail to obtain extensions.
“Many of the mothers who signed up with us … have not yet fully recovered from delivery and being left alone will make it harder for them to take care of their newborn,” she told CNA.
One new mother identified only as Long in the CNA article said she had been applying for an extension for her nanny from PEM since giving birth on August 8, with the agency unable to affirm if the request can be fulfilled.
Long initially planned to fly her parents in from China to assist her during confinement, but has since been impressed with the services of a nanny leading her to apply for the extension.
“We want a simple extension for 28 days and it will help us a lot. I would have recovered more and would be better able to take care of the baby,” Long was quoted saying.
Another issue that has surfaced is the increase in cost per assignment for both the agency, potentially the recipient family, and even sometimes the nannies themselves as both governments impose fees for those under mandatory quarantine on each side of the border.
Malaysians are charged RM2,100 as part of subsidised costs for the length of their quarantine, with foreigners entering Singapore required to pay the full RM4,700.
For Long, however, she was fortunate enough to save around S$1,700 (RM5,169) after being told by PEM the agency would absorb the added costs of the incoming nannies, which include the fees incurred from the mandatory SHN, costs for tests, and other necessities like face masks and sanitisers.
Another parent identified as Jason Teo, 29, told CNA he paid an additional S$700 (RM2,128) on top of the S$3,000 (RM9,122) fee to hire the nanny for the 28-days after the agency he engaged decided to share the added costs with its customers.
Teo, who decided not to name the agency, said the service from the nanny, however, has been great following the birth of his child on Aug 14.
“I agreed [to pay] because I think it’s not fair to expect agencies to absorb all the added costs.
“And I think it would even be worse to expect the nannies to pay for it,” he was quoted in the report.
Also feeling the effects of the tighter restrictions are the nannies themselves as the accumulated days spent under quarantine in both countries meant less time from their families, and fewer days available for other opportunities.
Fewer days spent on assignment meant a lower income, which Malaysian nanny Tey May Leng said led her husband to work odd jobs to sustain their family while they also decided to cut back on food expenses to stay afloat.
“As I have not been working since March, I have lost around RM16,000 of income in total.
“My children’s university fees are around RM5,000 a month so it has been difficult,” said Tey, who is employed by PEM.
Tey was recently assigned to a family in Singapore, where she travelled from Gurun, Kedah and arrived in the island state on August 25 and is currently serving her home-quarantine.
“I will serve fewer customers for each trip due to the Covid-19 quarantine duration, but I can no longer afford to be choosy,” she added.
Another predicament faced by Malaysian nannies is the separation from their loved ones, as PEM’s nanny Yow Yin Fen told CNA how she has not met her husband for six-months since borders were closed.
Yow who is from Kulai, Johor and currently lives with her daughter in Singapore, and said she only plans to return home once the regulations are more relaxed and when locals are allowed to undergo home-quarantine.
Yow explained she decided it made more sense for her to remain in Singapore to seek out job opportunities and be able to serve more families rather than returning home after assignment.
She explained if she came home, each assignment would mean Yow being away from her family for at least 56 days, 28 days on assignment and two 14-day spells under quarantine, but said the thought of providing for her husband and grandkids with the pay from her job kept her grounded.
