The Resilience of Senior Citizens in the Era of the Pandemic: A Preliminary Study During the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Penang, Malaysia
Daya Tahan Warga Emas dalam Era Pandemik: Satu Tinjauan Awal Sewaktu Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) di Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/geografi.vol8.2.6.2020Keywords:
Resilience, COVID-19 pandemic, senior citizens, Movement Control Order (MCO)Abstract
The year 2020 has witnessed the lives of a large number of populations in the world affected by the COVID-19 pandemic which was declared as a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). Malaysia has also been affected by this pandemic since the first recorded case occurred in January 2020 and the number of cases in each state has shown an increase in the following months. In this regard, the government has enforced a Movement Control Order (MCO) to break this pandemic chain. However, the implementation of MCO indirectly has a significant impact on the survival of all people, including the senior citizens, especially in terms of their resilience. Thus, this paper aims to examine the impact of MCO on the resilience of senior citizens in Penang in terms of adaptation to the situation of MCO, as well as identifying the support system that is available for them. The in-depth interview method is conducted with 10 senior citizens informants aged 60 and above. Findings indicate that strong social ties and access to activities related to nature/environment are important elements in the survival of resilience among the senior citizens during MCO. This study gives an overview and understanding to the community about the resilience of one of the vulnerable groups during the pandemic, as well as contributing ideas on interventions to stakeholders in preserving and prospering the lives of senior citizens in line with the third target of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which is ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages.
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