In haze-hit Johor, staying indoors is a luxury delivery riders cannot afford

In Johor, delivery riders face significant health challenges due to the severe haze emanating from fires in Indonesia, yet must continue working as their livelihoods depend on outdoor activities.

The poor air quality, reaching unhealthy levels, has led to symptoms like sore throats and stinging eyes among the riders, who must balance their safety with income needs.

Despite health advisories recommending reduced outdoor activity, riders like Ghani Jaafar and Mohd Eddin Sanusi adapt their routines, but still call for government assistance to support affected gig workers.

Some riders, such as Putera Mohammad Aidil, have begun limiting their delivery range to minimize exposure, though this impacts their earnings.

JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 20 — For delivery riders in Johor, escaping the thick haze that has settled over the state is not as simple as staying indoors. Their livelihoods depend on being out on the road, even as the polluted air takes a toll on their health.

As air quality reached very unhealthy levels in several parts of the state last week, riders reported sore throats, stinging eyes and other symptoms, leaving some to weigh the cost of fewer deliveries against the risks of prolonged exposure.

The haze, carried across the region by smoke from fires in Indonesia, has prompted Johor to extend school and educational institution closures until October 23, even as outdoor workers continue their daily routines.

For Ghani Jaafar, a 50-year-old food and beverage delivery rider on the outskirts of Johor Bahru, the effects of the haze were difficult to ignore.

After spending long hours making deliveries on his motorcycle, he developed a sore throat and mild nasal irritation.

“The symptoms happened early last week and persisted up till the weekend.

“If the haze becomes severe this week, I will consider temporarily scaling down on my deliveries,” he told Malay Mail while making his rounds yesterday.

But cutting back on work is hardly straightforward.

Ghani also works part-time as a construction site supervisor, leaving him with little opportunity to escape the outdoor conditions. Between the two jobs, he spends more than 10 hours a day working.

“It is meaningless for people like me to be indoors as both my jobs are based outdoors. On average, I spend more than 10 hours a day doing both jobs.

“The best I can do is to drink more water, monitor the current Air Pollutant Index (API) and try to minimise being outdoors,” he said.

He is aware of the risks, from coughing and eye irritation to sore throats and shortness of breath. Yet avoiding the haze would also mean giving up working hours.

Prolonged exposure to haze, particularly fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, can irritate the eyes and respiratory tract and aggravate existing conditions such as asthma.

In an October 15 advisory, the Health Ministry urged the public to avoid outdoor activities when the API exceeds 100, the threshold for unhealthy air quality, and recommended N95 masks for those who must venture outside. Employers were also advised to provide the masks to outdoor workers.

For Mohd Eddin Sanusi, another delivery rider, the problem has been particularly acute on the road.

The 38-year-old said the haze had left his eyes sore and stinging, sometimes affecting his ability to see clearly while riding his motorcycle.

“Since early last week, I have had sore eyes that started with a stinging sensation from the haze.

“This also affected my vision when I’m riding my motorcycle,” he told Malay Mail when met at a 24-hour restaurant here recently.

“I wash my face more often and use eye drops to relieve the soreness.

“Besides that, I was advised by my family to avoid any delivery runs if the API is above 200,” said Mohd Eddin, who also works as a car rental executive in Pontian.

Under Malaysia’s API classification, readings between 201 and 300 are considered very unhealthy, while those above 300 are classified as hazardous.

Johor recorded 30,648 cases of asthma and upper respiratory tract infections in October as of mid-month, a 20.7 per cent week-on-week increase, according to state Education and Information Committee chairman Dr Muhammad Naqib Md Ghazali.

Mohd Eddin began making deliveries three years ago to supplement his income. He described the latest haze as the worst he had encountered since taking up the work.

“This time round, the haze has hit most of southern Johor, where most delivery riders are based.

“It would be good if the government could come out with an assistance package for gig workers like me who are affected by the haze,” he said.

For some riders, the trade-off is already reshaping their working routines.

Putera Mohammad Aidil, 41, who makes food deliveries for his family’s stall in Bandar Baru Uda, has begun limiting how far he travels after experiencing a sore throat and eye irritation.

The Johor Bahru-based rider said he was concerned about the long-term consequences of breathing polluted air while working.

He recently downloaded an air quality monitoring app to help plan his daily deliveries, but it was advice from his wife that led him to restrict his routes to nearby residential areas.

“My family operates a food stall in Bandar Baru Uda and I normally do the motorcycle deliveries,” he said when contacted yesterday.

“With the current haze and due to health concerns, my wife told me to concentrate my deliveries within the nearby residential area only.

“In a way, this cuts down on my deliveries and contact with the haze, but it also affects my business as well.

“However, as a family man with three young children, I can’t forgo my health.”

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在柔佛州，由于印尼山火产生的严重烟霾，外卖骑手面临着严重的健康挑战，但他们必须继续工作，因为他们的生计依赖​​于户外活动。

空气质量恶劣，已达到不健康水平，导致骑手们出现喉咙痛、眼睛刺痛等症状，他们必须在安全和收入需求之间取得平衡。

尽管卫生部门建议减少户外活动，但像 Ghani Jaafar 和 Mohd Eddin Sanusi 这样的骑手调整了他们的日常活动，但仍然呼吁政府提供援助，以支持受影响的零工人员。

一些骑手，例如 Putera Mohammad Aidil，已经开始限制他们的送货范围以减少风险，但这会影响他们的收入。

新山，10月20日讯——对于柔佛州的送餐员来说，想要躲避笼罩全州的浓重雾霾并非易事，仅仅待在室内是远远不够的。他们的生计依赖​​于外出送餐，即便污染的空气正在损害他们的健康。

上周，该州多个地区的空气质量达到非常不健康的水平，骑手们报告出现喉咙痛、眼睛刺痛和其他症状，这使得一些骑手不得不权衡减少送货量的成本与长时间暴露在空气中的风险。

印尼山火产生的烟雾将雾霾带到该地区，导致柔佛州将学校和教育机构的关闭时间延长至 10 月 23 日，而户外工作者则继续他们的日常工作。

对于居住在柔佛州新山郊区的 50 岁食品饮料外卖员 Ghani Jaafar 来说，雾霾的影响难以忽视。

他骑摩托车送货时间过长，导致喉咙痛和轻微鼻腔刺激。

“症状出现在上周初，一直持续到周末。”

“如果本周雾霾严重，我会考虑暂时减少送货量，”他昨天在送货途中告诉《马来邮报》。

但减少工作量绝非易事。

加尼还兼职做建筑工地主管，这让他几乎没有机会摆脱户外工作环境。两份工作加起来，他每天工作超过10个小时。

“像我这样的人待在室内毫无意义，因为我的两份工作都在户外。平均而言，我每天要花超过10个小时做这两份工作。”

他说：“我能做的最好的事情就是多喝水，关注当前的空气污染指数（API），并尽量减少户外活动。”

他很清楚其中的风险，从咳嗽、眼睛刺激到喉咙痛和呼吸急促。然而，为了避开雾霾，他也意味着要放弃工作时间。

长时间暴露于雾霾中，特别是被称为 PM2.5 的细颗粒物，会刺激眼睛和呼吸道，并加剧哮喘等现有疾病。

10月15日，卫生部发布公告，敦促公众在空气污染指数（API）超过100（空气质量不健康阈值）时避免户外活动，并建议必须外出的人员佩戴N95口罩。公告还建议雇主为户外工作者提供口罩。

对于另一位外卖员 Mohd Eddin Sanusi 来说，路上的问题尤其严重。

这位 38 岁的男子表示，雾霾让他的眼睛感到酸痛刺痛，有时甚至影响他骑摩托车时的视力。

“从上周初开始，我的眼睛就一直很痛，最初是由于雾霾引起的刺痛感。

“这也影响了我骑摩托车时的视力，”他最近在当地一家24小时营业的餐厅接受《马来邮报》采访时说道。

“我更频繁地洗脸，并使用眼药水来缓解疼痛。”

“除此之外，我的家人也建议我，如果 API 值超过 200，就避免任何送货任务，”在笨珍担任汽车租赁主管的 Mohd Eddin 说。

根据马来西亚的API分类，读数在201到300之间被认为是极不健康的，而高于300的读数则被归类为有害的。

据柔佛州教育和信息委员会主席穆罕默德·纳基布·穆罕默德·加扎利博士称，截至10月中旬，柔佛州共记录了30648例哮喘和上呼吸道感染病例，比上一周增加了20.7%。

莫哈末·埃丁三年前开始送货，以补贴家用。他形容最近的这场雾霾是他从事这项工作以来遇到的最严重的一次。

“这一次，雾霾主要影响了柔佛州南部的大部分地区，而那里正是大多数外卖骑手的居住地。

他说：“如果政府能够出台一项援助计划，帮助像我这样受雾霾影响的零工人员，那就太好了。”

对于一些骑手来说，这种权衡已经改变了他们的工作习惯。

41岁的普特拉·穆罕默德·艾迪尔(Putera Mohammad Aidil)在乌达新镇(Bandar Baru Uda)为自家摊位送外卖，在出现喉咙痛和眼睛发炎症状后，他开始限制自己的出行范围。

这位来自新山的骑手表示，他担心长期呼吸污染空气会对身体造成长期影响。

他最近下载了一个空气质量监测应用程序来帮助规划他每天的送货路线，但正是他妻子的建议让他将送货路线限制在附近的居民区。

“我家在 Bandar Baru Uda 经营一个食品摊位，我通常负责骑摩托车送货，”他昨天接受采访时说。

“由于目前的雾霾和健康方面的考虑，我的妻子告诉我，我的送货范围应该仅限于附近的居民区。”

“从某种程度上说，这减少了我的送货量和与雾霾的接触，但也影响了我的生意。”

“但是，作为一个有三个年幼孩子的顾家男人，我不能牺牲自己的健康。”

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