KUCHING: The worsening haze is putting a damper on school holiday plans, with outdoor activities being dropped in favour of staying indoors or visiting nearby malls.
While previously booked trips are still going ahead for some families, parents said they are prepared to change their plans if air quality deteriorates further.
Revinna Mamat, 48, is among those proceeding with plans already made, including an overnight trip to Osuka Beach in Lundu on Sunday (Aug 30).
She said the family had already paid for their homestay and cancelling the trip would mean losing the deposit.
“I do regret planning a beach trip now, but if we cancel, the deposit will be forfeited and the children will also be disappointed because they have been looking forward to swimming in the pool.
“But if the situation reaches an emergency level, I will postpone all our plans. Their health and safety come first,” she said.
Revinna said she would return to work on Sept 1, after which her children would spend most of the holidays at home and stay indoors to minimise exposure to the haze.
A trip to Kuala Lumpur planned for the following week would also go ahead as flight tickets and accommodation had already been paid for.
For Nazlina Sarjana, 39, the school holidays will be much simpler as her husband will be working and the family has no plans to travel.
She said any family outings would most likely be limited to indoor places such as shopping malls, particularly with the haze appearing to worsen.
“We don’t really have plans to go anywhere this school holidays. If we do go out, perhaps it will just be to the mall rather than somewhere outdoors.
“With the haze getting worse, I would rather choose somewhere indoors where the children are not exposed to the air outside for too long,” she said.
Nurul Ashireen, 37, is taking a similar approach as both she and her husband will be working throughout the school holidays.
She said her children would mostly remain at home on weekdays, with short outings to nearby malls or other indoor places considered during the weekends.
However, she said even those plans would depend on the haze situation.
“If the haze gets worse, I won’t encourage the children to go outside at all.
“Even playing in front of the house, I wouldn’t allow it. We can always find something for them to do indoors until the situation improves,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mohd Amirul Fahmi Abd Hamid, 33, said his family would usually take the children out during the school holidays, particularly on weekends when he and his wife were not working.
During the school holidays, the family would usually visit shopping malls or head to rivers and beaches for picnics and swimming.
This time, however, outdoor activities are unlikely to be on the agenda.
“With the haze getting worse, I don’t think I will bring the family out for outdoor activities.
“Even letting the children swim in the pool behind our house doesn’t seem suitable at the moment.
“The smell of smoke from the haze is already getting into the house and we have to keep the air-conditioning on every day. So going outside for activities is definitely out for now,” he said.
Fahmi said the family would instead spend more time indoors and reconsider outdoor activities once air quality improves.
