“It is appalling”, Penang Councillor Cries Foul Over Quality Of Food Served At Quarantine Hotels

As many of you know, returning Malaysians who opt to stay at hotels are subjected to pay for their own food and accommodation over the course of their respective mandatory quarantine periods.

A Penang councillor, Nicholas Theng, recently took to Facebook to express his disdain for the kind of meals Malaysians were being served at these hotels, seeing as they’re already paying a hefty amount for their stay.

“I am truly saddened and angry to find out on our National Day today of how appalling the food served are at quarantine centres in Penang,” penned the councillor yesterday (31 August).

The councillor said he received pictures from a friend who is currently spending her quarantine at Bahang Bay Hotel and found the food to be “borderline atrocious.” “Pictures of fish curry served with only the head and some bone to chicken curry with tiny strips of meat show clearly that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government does not care at all about the wellbeing of people in quarantine,” he added.

“To make things worse, vegetarians are served just spring rolls, vegetable soup and white rice for some meals!”

Theng even questioned whether the meals were up to the standard minimum nutritional value accepted by the Ministry of Health. “This issue is further compounded when the Rakyat are required to bear half the cost of quarantine which amounts to around RM2,100. That is equivalent to RM150 a day, more than enough to cover the cost of a proper meal! If that is the case, then how can the Rakyat be forced to suffer like this?”

He ended the post by calling upon the Ministry of Health to look into the issue: “the rakyat should not continue to suffer as a result of cronyism and corruption. The PN government must be fair to all states regardless of whether they are opposition or not.”

The post has since garnered mixed reactions from netizens. Some say that citizens shouldn’t expect much with RM150 a day including food and lodging services. Other netizens have also commented that not every quarantine hotel is serving the same kind of meals.

Do you guys have any quarantine stories like this? Share your experiences with us in the comments below!

Also read: “Lucky to be Malaysian” – MOH Shares How Food At Quarantine Centres Are Nutritious