Always Rushin: 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.