10 April 2020
Friday · Day 15 of lockdown
In South Africa, the mayor of Nkandla and other Kwa-Zulu Natal councillors were arrested for gathering in public. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved out of intensive care, though he remained in the hospital for the treatment of his coronavirus symptoms. By this time, the UK had over 65 000 coronavirus cases and over 8 000 deaths recorded. Singapore’s minister of education announced that Zoom would no longer be used for home-based learning because of the serious security breaches being experienced. According to scientists at Johns Hopkins University, New York state had more coronavirus cases than any country in the world, with 161 807 cases. After the US, Spain was the country with the second highest number of cases, with 157 022. Italy was third, reporting 143 626 cases.
Today is Good Friday; it is a very significant day in the Christian calendar. I really tried to put the thought of lockdown out of my brain, and to just absorb the beautiful day. It was a bit overwhelming considering that I had to deal with so many emotions. The lockdown puts a big strain on one’s emotional health. You stop feeling certain emotions and then all of a sudden you feel all of the bottled-up emotions welling up at once. You also do not have a clear concept of time because it is difficult to establish a routine. I knew from the start of the day that I was not going to do any work. I basically just ‘floated’ around the house all day. I tried to order all my thoughts and to gain some clarity. I learned that it is necessary to write down your thoughts, goals, plans and ideas. […] As soon as you write a problem down, you see it for what it is: ink on a piece of paper.
* * *
Today I discovered a hidden talent.
This morning my stepdad was mentioning how badly he wanted to go and have his haircut, but of course all the barbers are closed due to Covid-19. He asked me if I could give him a haircut instead. At first, I was extremely hesitant. I didn’t want to completely mess up his hair.
About an hour after he asked me, I decided I would give it a try. I certainly learnt a lot about how to cut men’s hair, using the different numbers on the shaving device. I was very impressed with myself in the end. My stepdad agreed that I had done a great job.
* * *
This morning I woke up quite late because my brothers and I played Monopoly late into the night last night. Earlier yesterday we had searched in all our drawers to find our old board games. During this lockdown, our family has grown close again. My brothers and I feel like children again: playing games, irritating each other, running around, playing with our dogs, fighting over who should do the chores, and even colouring again. I am trying to enjoy this time with them, for I know that it will pass just as quickly as my childhood.
* * *
The start of Easter! I grew up in a very religious household, so Easter is a very important part of our year. We woke up and immediately went to our TV room to watch our pastor from our church give his annual Good Friday service. The service revolved around the basics of Christ’s resurrection, but also included how a Christian can look at the coronavirus and try to find peace with it. After the service, my family had communion with other families in our cell group through a zoom call.
We then enjoyed a large Easter Good Friday family lunch, which consisted of braai vleis (which I braaied), salad, garlic bread and some beer to wash it down. It was a really great and spiritual day for our family.
Finally, I went upstairs and topped a great day off playing some Call of Duty with my friends.
* * *
Days feel like they are melting together, and I am starting to find it difficult to distinguish between them. This sense of purposelessness is difficult to come to terms with. I must admit that the last few days since Ramaphosa announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown have been very challenging, since it feels like this state is never going to end. I do think that South Africa has reacted in an appropriate manner (given the specific challenges we face), and Ramaphosa has emerged as a great leader that takes action when it is necessary to do so.
I have been trying to limit my news intake to once a day in order to stay informed about what is happening around the world, but also to make sure that I am not unnecessarily overwhelmed. Constantly being bombarded with the statistics and talk of economic collapse is mentally draining and not very useful when you are doing everything in your capacity to stay afloat. What else can we do but to stay put and wait until this virus blows over? The economic implications of it all is already being felt, but all we can do is carry on working and hoping that better days will come.
* * *
Today is the halfway mark: 21-odd days of a combination of social distancing and two weeks of lockdown, and 21 days left of lockdown … It feels as though this is never going to end.
* * *
Happy Easter weekend! My family is not Christian, in fact we are Gujarati, and I was raised (not very strictly) within that religion. However, we love celebrating certain holidays, such as Easter and Christmas, and appreciating family time. I guess it feels more like a South African tradition to us. I would have flown down to Durban this morning, had the circumstances been different, but instead, my mom is trying to keep our spirits high by baking hot cross buns. All the talk in the house today has been about how much travel has been affected – no one is flying or driving down to the coast this weekend from Joburg as they usually would. The ripple effect is incredibly large; the flight industry, the hotel industry, restaurants and all kinds of vendors would have pocketed months’ worth of income from this weekend.
* * *
Today is Good Friday. I woke up early to watch a church service online, but then went back to bed. After waking up from my nap I realised my aunts were here. They came to drop pickled fish; apparently they can no longer handle the lockdown. […] I’ve realised that my mom and her sisters are really people’s people. They grew up in an area where your neighbours were like family and everyone visited everyone’s homes. I think that’s why they are struggling with this lockdown. My aunts still live with my granddad in the house they grew up in. They are always visiting the aunty across the road and chatting to the people that pass by … it’s their daily life.
My aunt says that, in their area, people are still walking up and down the streets because apparently the police told them they need only be in their homes before 8:00 pm. I definitely think the rules of this lockdown need to be enforced more strictly in rural areas. I don’t think those people realise how important it is to minimise social contact.
* * *
Today, [the] minister of education addressed the nation. Possible (not definite) strategies to combat the effects of Covid-19 on the 2020 school year include: 1. The removal of June and September breaks: 2. Revision of curriculum outcomes. 3. Combining the 2020 and 2021 school years. 4. In the case of continued lockdown, screening/testing grade 12 and 7 learners, and phasing it down to grades 8 and R. 5. State-sponsored online education on television and radio programmes.
The last mentioned option is not ideal because there is a reason for classes and personal interaction. Some students cannot learn on their own and it is no indication of their intelligence but rather a reflection of the effect of a stimulating learning environment. Not all matriculants will make it through this year – the stress that comes with the uncertainty, the difficulty of studying on their own and the limited access to resources will definitely lead to a much smaller group of matriculants with university exemption. This might, however, not be as dire as it seems. Maybe this could be the perfect opportunity for a much-needed shift in the labour market? We need practical labourers, technicians, healthcare workers and artists. And who knows, with the consumer shifts taking place, new jobs will be created – some which don’t even exist yet …
* * *
The Bible warns of war and plague when the world is coming to an end, but experts have said that this pandemic does not actually fit the description spelled out in the Bible. What a relief. Now I can focus more on the economy and less on whether or not the world is ending.