Photos

These sets of pictures taken at seven major roads in Kuala Lumpur show life in the city before and after the movement control order was reinstated this week, bringing back memories of the first lockdown in March 2020.

Each year, monsoon rains pound the east coast forcing the evacuation of thousands as floods leave vehicles, roads and even houses underwater. But residents have described this year's flooding as the worst in half a century with tens of thousands evacuated in Pahang alone.

Churches, like most organisations, have gone online this year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. But the government's recent announcement that services will be allowed has seen some, like this small church in Ara Damansara, hurrying to get things ready by Christmas Day. (Note: masks were worn except for photo purposes.)

Not for the faint of heart: the Ropewerks team goes where no one else does to do the jobs no one else can, at dizzying heights where everything boils down to guts.

Like everyone else in the country, Rizam Zakariya became housebound when the Covid-19 lockdown was enforced earlier this year. But the time spent at home allowed him to rediscover his childhood hobby of rearing Siamese fighting fish, also known as betta fish.

G Bootheswaran works at a scrap company in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur. This year marks his eighth Deepavali celebration away from his family in Chennai, India, as the Covid-19 pandemic increases his workload and keeps country borders closed.

With a pandemic wreaking havoc around the world, barely anyone is travelling anymore – but everyone still needs to eat. Mohd Saddam Irrban goes from tour agency operator to grocery delivery man for customers unwilling or unable to shop for themselves.

Flat Colombia in Taman Keramat, just a few minutes' drive from the iconic Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers, has a dark past. It was once a hub of illicit drug activities but today, its thriving community garden is the pride of residents. The 'rehabilitation' was thanks to help from a commercial bank which allowed for the use of a plot of land.

Chris Leong aka 'Sifu Chris' specialises in treating those struggling with aches and pains through the use of a method known as 'tit tar'.

Mohd Rafiz Zainal has two decades of experience as an optician and has worked with major brands involved in the profession. Still, it was tough when he finally ventured out on his own as he could not get a loan for the expensive equipment he needed. Today, though, he runs a successful optician shop, right from his living room.

Before the MCO, Mohd Zawawi Jusoh and his wife, Khatijah Haji Musa, performed at hotels like The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur and Hilton Petaling Jaya, but now they are struggling to find a spot on the road.

Just 10 minutes from Sabah's capital Kota Kinabalu lies Pulau Gaya, where a community of people live in shacks built on stilts, popularly known as water villages.