Do our best effort to protect ourselves and others from infecting with Covid-19! A man in Sabah who just came back from Japan walked home for three days just because he wanted to avoid infecting anyone with Covid-19!
According to The Star, Alixson Mangundok who is 34-year-old came back to Kota Kinabalu from Japan on March 25. He was afraid that he might be contracted the virus. Thus, after arriving at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, he asked his family and friends not to pick him up and he decided not to take any public transport.
“After reaching the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, I was screened and did not show any Covid-19 symptoms but I was still asked to go to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for a more thorough screening,” he said.
Alixson Mangundok added:
“After the screening, the doctor told me to undergo a 14-day quarantine at home and that there was no need for me to stay at a quarantine centre since I did not have any symptoms. “
“But then, there are cases of people who are asymptomatic. I was worried that I could be one of those people, carrying the virus but not showing symptoms,”
He concerned that he might be spreading the virus to his family and other people thus he decided to walk home for all the way.
He continued to say:
“Earlier, my brother had picked up my other baggage at the airport, but I refused his offer to take me home. I didn’t want to take the chance that I could infect him, just in case. “
“But I brought my backpack with me in case I was asked to stay at a quarantine centre. But since I didn’t have to, I had no choice but to carry the eight-kilo backpack with me,” said the father of two. “
Mangundok took some lunch and brought two bottles of water in the hospital. After all, he set out on his walking journey which is around 120km from Kota Kinabalu to his hometown, Kota Marudu.
Not long after he started his journey, he walked past a cemetery, a dog came up and tagged along.
Mangundok said:
“It felt like my prayer was answered because the dog never left my side and stayed with me throughout the journey. “
“When we stopped at a bus stop to rest, the dog did things to keep me awake like licking my face and tugging my hand with its mouth as if telling me that the location was not safe, “
He named his companion Hachiko (after the famous Japanese Akita dog noted for its loyalty), they passed several roadblocks, made some new friends who had helped them and braved the rain and heat together in their journey.
Mangundok talked about the situation when they met the roadblocks:
“At every roadblock, the policeman and other security forces on duty would ask where I was going and when I told them that I was headed to Kota Marudu, they could not believe it but eventually I convinced them that I was not joking,”
“They also offered to help me hail rides but I declined because I have this dog and I don’t want to pose any health risk to anyone, even though the doctors said I should be clear,”
In the morning of March 28, Mangundok met his brother on the halfway to Kota Marudu.
“His supervisor who later drove by and saw me quickly notified him. My brother came back for me but I did not get into his vehicle because I had Hachiko with me. I only asked him to get me water as I was very thirsty. I had run out of water by then, “ Mangundok said.
After reaching Kota Marudu, Mangundok and the dog, Hachiko went to a hut on the farm and continued to quarantine himself there.
He added: “I will not meet my family until the hospital gives me confirmation that I am free from this virus. For now, Hachiko and I spend our time together at the hut,”
As the latest update, the dog who accompanies Mangundok along his journey do have an owner.
“The owner said they would come here and pick him after the movement control order (MCO),” Mangundok said.
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Source: The Star | Borneo Today