COMMENT | I’m lucky to live in a neighbourhood where the spirit of community exists quite significantly. Every evening, the children on my street would go out and play together. They run about, play with water guns and go exploring on their bicycles.

They rule the street and we adults call them Gang 179 (after the street we all live on). Of course, my two elder daughters are part of it (my son is still in his diapers and should be able to join them as soon as he starts running!).

Now, because the kids are outside every evening, many of the adults also hang around on the street to keep an eye on them. Naturally, we all walk around and chat with one another during these times. It’s quite a nice time, actually.

This wasn’t the situation before. What changed it was Covid-19 and the movement control order (MCO). I guess everyone was so tired of being quarantined that when the government declared the recovery MCO (RMCO), everyone came out of their houses.

I love it because it reminds me of when I was growing up in the early 1980s. The neighbourhood kids and I terrorised Taman Tasek in Johor Bahru. We were safe because everyone knew each other and all the adults would constantly be looking out for us.

In the last two months, I’ve got to know all my neighbours better than the past eight years I’ve been living on this street. It’s funny how good things can still happen during bad times. And now, to the point of my story...