Wife of Grab-driver tells activist Gilbert Goh that 4 masks she received and the 10 she purchased are insufficient for her family’s daily needs

A mother with flu-like symptoms wrote to socio-political activist Gilbert Goh about how her husband – who worked as a private hire car driver – and children barely had enough masks to use themselves.

Writing to Mr Goh yesterday (Feb 9), she added that she had been “Been feeling weak. Head feels heavy. No fever or running nose. But still coughing (like dry cough) till now. I didn’t go anywhere, except to the shops nearby. Didn’t go to clinic too, ‘coz of the virus going on”.

She said: “I have the 4 pathetic masks, and 10 disposable ones bought at Johor guardian pharmacy that time”.

However, because her husband works as a private-hire driver, she added: “I’m praying it doesn’t affect him. Our expenditures depend totally on his daily income, especially the house rent. We have no savings. So I can’t imagine if he cannot work”.

With two Secondary-school-going children, the woman said that her husband and kids were sharing what was left amongst themselves.

“But we are trying to save up the masks, as my husband needs more. He meets different kinds of passengers everyday at close proximity. Got to spend a lot on disinfectant sprays and Dettol wipes too, every time a passenger boards/alights. Masks are still unavailable everywhere, including johor now”, she griped.

Mr Goh gave the family masks to use, and the woman added that she would share them with her father who works as a security guard in a primary school.

She added: “He was hospitalised, a week before the Wuhan virus, for dengue.
Recently the school told him that he can’t wear mask, but he told them that he just recovered from dengue and his immune system is still low”.

Responding to queries from TISG, Mr Goh said that the school disallowing the woman’s father, who just recovered from Dengue Fever, from wearing a mask was “Ridiculous”. He also said that “People are generally worried about lack of masks plus difficulty in managing income especially Grab and cabs. They also fear their kids going to school unmasked”.

/TISG