“Lockdowns in Malaysia are much stricter than what I see in the U.S. The police and military have roadblocks everywhere. We are not allowed to walk around outside or go to the park,” says Hutchins, who lives on the 26th floor of a high-rise in downtown Kuala Lumpur. His only escape — outside of a weekly trip to the grocery store that cannot last more than two hours — is time on his balcony.
“Malaysia is doing a good job of controlling the virus,” says Hutchins in early May. “Nationwide, we have had less than 6,000 verified cases of the virus with 99 deaths. Our first case was identified on Feb. 28.”
Hutchins says he can do almost everything he needs to do to keep business running from home, although that means long days on video or teleconferences. “However, I dearly miss the daily and personal interactions with my team members and managers.”
by Dudley Brown and Jo Ann Mitchell Brasington ’89