Lockdown Day 34

 When our president, Cyril Ramaphosa, announced that South Africa was going into lockdown, it was a sombre moment for all of us. That was on Monday, 23 March. That week, my team and I were due to work from home for three days and come into the office for two, as part of our company’s response to the virus. Thinking about it now, it’s actually ridiculous that we thought that that was anywhere near an appropriate response. It shows how little we understood at the time. We left work that day thinking we were going to return on the Thursday, after two days of working from home. There was a feeling of excitement at the thought of working from home, something most people dream about (and tend to romanticise).  

                                  View from kitchen window, on Day 34 of lockdown. 

That night, however, we sat at our respective houses, glued to our tv screens, like millions of other South Africans, and listened as our president explained the severity of the situation and announced the decision of the National Coronavirus Command Council – to implement a 21-day national lockdown, as from midnight of Thursday 26 April. I remember people being confused as to whether it meant the midnight that started Thursday or the one that ended it.  38 days later, all of that seems so long ago. I don’t think we’re even aware of how much we’ve learnt since then.

The next few days after the announcement were crazy. In anticipation of being housebound, people started stockpiling. Falling in those few days was the 25^th, a date on which many people get their salaries. As luck would have it, there was a glitch with ours and, for the first time in the four years I’ve had this job, my salary came a day late – the 26^th, - which was the day before the start of lockdown.  My daughter and I drove down to the nearest supermarket, planning to buy our groceries, but when we saw the parking area, we decided against it. It was unreal! It looked worse than the day before Christmas! Instead, I took my plastic bags to the fresh produce kiosk in the parking lot and bought some fruit and veg from the informal trader. 

Two days later, on Day 2 of Lockdown, I went to the supermarket. It was a completely bizarre experience. There was a queue outside the shop, with markings on the ground indicating the required distance between people. It was really weird, like a movie where you as the viewer find it odd, but the people in the movie are acting like everything’s perfectly normal. First of all, I was wearing a cloth mask that covered my nose and mouth. Many others were also wearing masks, but quite a few hadn’t bothered. That was my first inkling that this was going to be a lot more complex than I’d thought – there were actually people around who were not going to take this seriously, which meant they could be putting themselves and others at risk. I got the sense that many privileged people did not know how to act as part of a unified collective. Interesting and not surprising.

                                    Queue outside supermarket - Day 2 of lockdown.

I stood in the queue, reading. I got really irritated at the system the security guard was using - he didn’t do it on a one-out-one-in basis; instead, he waited until about 20 people had exited the shop and then he allowed 20 in. So you stood waiting for much longer than your actual shopping took. Oh, there was another strange thing about the queue – no-one spoke! The silence was quite uncommon for South Africans waiting in line. Normally people would just start chatting, even to perfect strangers.

Once inside the shop, it was a huge relief – there were so few shoppers, that it was quick and easy to get everything within a relatively short time. I must admit, it was a huge relief to drive home. I stopped along the way to take a photo of how deserted our area was, because it was all so different, so surreal.

                                    Our area during lockdown - eerily deserted

And then, on Day 14, on Thursday 9 April, one week before the 21-day lockdown was due to end, our president addressed the nation again. This time, after two weeks in lockdown, with daily updates on the South African COVID-19 statistics, we were all acutely aware of the seriousness of the pandemic and the importance of social distancing. We anticipated it and it happened – our president announced the extension of the lockdown period by another two weeks, to Thursday 30 April. He also announced that lockdown in one form or another would be around for a long time and that there’d be 5 levels.  He said that we were currently at level 5, the most severe form of lockdown. If certain things were in place, we’d move to level 4 from 1 May, which was a lighter lockdown, with more freedom. What had become clear was that the Western Cape had become the epicentre of the virus, in South Africa, and that there was a very strong possibility that we’d remain at level 5 when the rest of the country moved to level 4.

As with so many other situations, there are some things about lockdown that we’re all experiencing in the same way, but there are others that are as different as we are from each other. Something I hear repeatedly is that people talk about having some good and some bad days. I can relate to that. This is not easy, by any means. After 34 days, I can honestly say there’s no formula – in fact, I find I’m constantly trying to figure out what works best for me and how I can best get through this strange time. We owe it to ourselves to honour ourselves and not bow to pressure and try to emulate other people’s strategies. 

I’ve chosen to keep things as simple as possible and to focus on things that make me feel grounded, balanced. I have to do something physical, to let off steam, to feel connected to normality – whatever that may be. I’ve chosen to dance regularly and to create something that I can look at later and say, “I made that during the 2020 lockdown. “’.  I’m busy crocheting a blanket for my daughter. It’s 60% done and I’ve run out of wool. I’ve been in contact with the wool shop and placed an order for my next lot of wool, for whenever the shop reopens. I can’t wait. 

                                          The lockdown blanket, in the making :-) 

But I also really like trying different things, so we’ve been cooking and baking some new recipes. Two days ago, I started something else that was new: I started walking up and down our driveway, for exercise. On Monday, I walked 4km and today, joined by my daughter, I walked another 4km. My new exercise regimen will consist of dancing and walking on alternate days. Already today, on Day 2 of walking, I felt better than I did on Day 1.  This is good.   

                                           Our driveway - perfect for walking

Another thing I’ve decided, recently, is to spend less time on Facebook. And when I do go on, there are certain types of posts I’ll just ignore.  I also find certain people’s energy a bit too much, right now. I’m looking after myself in every possible way. Something we’re all acutely aware of is that our mental health, especially at a time like this, has to be a priority.

With that in mind, I will continue to fill my days with a variety of things that make sense to me, in addition to my office work. I’ve experienced a lot, but this lockdown is completely different. I’m determined to get through this as strongly and as authentically as I can, bearing in mind that this is a transition and that it will come to an end at some stage. I need to stay true to myself, spend time expressing gratitude and stay in touch with my loved ones, making sure they’re all well.

One thing I know for sure is that things will never be the same, after this. It’s been a very humbling experience.   

                                                  Homemade choc chip biscuits

May we never forget the lessons learnt during the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020.

South African Corona Lockdown Days 9 and 27

                                             Written 04 & 22 April 2020

Day 9 of our country’s national lockdown aimed at flattening the curve of Coronavirus infections.

I have been journalling extensively, throughout the lockdown period, but for some reason or other, haven’t been blogging.  Well, one of the reasons is that our internet connectivity came to an abrupt end 8 days ago and I’ve been struggling with various attempts at sorting this out. The irony is that, so much can go wrong with trying to set up technology, the purpose of which is to make life easier!

I keep asking myself what the lesson is I’m supposed to be learning.

Like everyone else, I’m trying to navigate my way through this unprecedented national lockdown. Like so many others, I’ve become painfully aware of how dire the impact of this lockdown is for the majority of South Africans – people who barely exist below the poverty line. The majority of South Africans don’t earn a monthly salary and lead stunted, poverty-stricken lives; those who are lucky enough to be employed eke out an existence on weekly wages, piecemeal jobs or work in the informal sector, selling things in busy public spaces. Millions of South Africans depend on social grants, to survive.

This lockdown period is life-altering for all of us, but, for the most vulnerable in our society, it’s devastating.

Another stark realisation that has hit many of us, during this time, is that we are, indeed, privileged. As a friend of mine put it, “If at any given time you have a week’s food in your home, you’re privileged.”

While many were dismayed at being told not to stockpile – a directive blatantly ignored by many (I’ll mention my mixed feelings about this later) – for the majority of our citizens, this was not even an option, as the meagre household income is just enough to buy groceries for a short period.

So, about the stockpiling – I can understand why people did this, as the overriding instruction at that same time, was to stay home for 21 days. Buying in bulk meant you wouldn’t have to leave home to do shopping. Unfortunately, what it did was empty shelves, as most suppliers hadn’t prepared for the onslaught, which then caused hardship for those who came after the bulk buyers. I do think that, because of the unprecedented nature of the lockdown, most people went into panic mode and what unfortunately surfaces, at those times, is unbridled selfishness. Really regrettable, as most of the bulk buyers were vehicle owners who would’ve been able to get back to the shops much more easily than poorer people who’d have to rely on public transport.   

Wed. 22 April (Day 27)

Those first 9 days, staying home was a novelty. We made daily To Do lists and tackled things around the house that we’d been putting off for a while. I’d bought a vacuum cleaner a few days before lockdown and for the first time in ages we could vacuum the house, instead of sweeping the carpeted floor with a hard broom.

The sun shone brightly (it was late March, so still warm), which added to the feeling of happiness  - we didn’t have to get up at 5:30 in the morning, do the  morning routine and then sit in snail-paced  traffic for more than an hour, I didn’t have to sit in an air-conditioned office doing what I’d always thought could’ve been done from home (with a few exceptions) and didn’t have to sit in snail-paced evening traffic for anything from an hour to two hours, to get home. Incidentally, I work about 20km from home – an easy 20-minute drive, when there’s no traffic. 

Another thing I did, just before the lockdown started, was buy wool to crochet a blanket for my daughter. I let her choose the colours, and I excitedly started the blanket the same day I bought the wool. The blanket is about 60% done and I’m about to run out of wool. Tomorrow night, President Ramaphosa is going to announce the plan for the gradual reopening of the economy. I somehow doubt my wool shop will be opening anytime before July.  The last blanket I made was about 19 years ago. That was the divorce blanket. I suppose this one’s the Corona blanket. Seems like it takes a crisis to get me to create a blanket. If you’re someone who’s ever knitted or crocheted, you’ll know how therapeutic the repetitive motion is. It’s soothing, like a lullaby. I love the fact that this blanket will go with my daughter when she leaves home to live independently, and that it will outlive me and become part of my legacy. Once this one’s done, I’ll buy wool for my third blanket, which will be for my son. And where’s the first blanket? Happily on my bed! 😊    

                                        Blanket No. 1  - made about 19 years ago. 

Something else we did, ahead of the lockdown, was visit the local plant nursery and buy plants and compost.  Early on during lockdown, we worked in the garden. That’s also very therapeutic.

I don’t think we fully understood the scale or ramifications of the global pandemic we were asked to stay home for, in those first 9 days. Today is Day 27, we’re in the first extension of the lockdown, and we’re acutely aware that returning to normal is not going to happen for some time - at least the next three months. What this means for various aspects of our lives, only time will reveal. Each of us has to cope as best we can, learn whichever lessons we’re meant to, and never stop believing that the lockdown will eventually end, we will see and hug our loved ones again, and we will regain the freedom we once took for granted. 

                                             Blanket No. 2 - more than halfway done.

What I have concluded is that life, the way it was, couldn’t go on. Not just for us personally, but especially politically. For too long, the poor had remained marginalised, struggling to survive, dealing with all kinds of abuse,  the most profound of which was systemic. Last night, President Ramaphosa announced sweeping measures to bring relief to the poor.  Never before has South Africa done this, on this scale - not even under the presidency of Nelson Mandela, a man credited with bringing about peaceful (well, not that peaceful) change, taking our country out of apartheid and into ‘the new South Africa’.  That was in 1994 - 26 years ago. For most South Africans, nothing changed – they were poor then, and they remained poor, with NO MEANINGFUL INTERVENTION from government. It took a global pandemic, a virus that starts off like the flu and could potentially kill you, a virus for which there’s currently no vaccine, to change the way our government looked at its citizens. Whichever way you look at it, the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will go down in history as having sparked massive socio-political change in South Africa.

I’m keen to see how our country sustains these initiatives and what the longer-term implications are.