12 April 2020

Sunday · Day 17 of lockdown

Easter Sunday celebrations took on unusual forms across the globe due to lockdown restrictions. In the Eastern Cape, 23 inmates and three staff tested positive for Covid-19 at a prison. 18% of the New York Police Department were sick. Walt Disney World announced that it needed to furlough about 43 000 cast members and other employees because of the pandemic. In Ecuador, the president and cabinet took a salary cut of 50% due to budget constraints caused by the coronavirus. In the middle of a row with the US over the origins of the coronavirus, China imposed restriction on the publication of academic research into the beginnings of the novel virus. All papers on Covid-19 were required to have extra vetting before being submitted for publication.

I can officially say that I have experienced a ‘quarantine birthday.’ Even though the day wasn’t drastically different from the past few days in terms of what I did, I really enjoyed the day. I was really reflective today, thinking about my life and the times we are living in. It got me thinking of something my mom once said, “happiness is a choice”. I always disagreed with this sentiment. If your circumstances were bleak and opportunities were few, wouldn’t it be insensitive to say that happiness is a choice. As I went through the day, though, I began to realise that I was deciding to be happy despite what was going on around me. When I realised this, it really was a light bulb moment. As simple as my revelation was, I don’t think I’m going to experience it every day. I know as the quarantine furthers, I am going to experience a range of emotions. These past 28 days are an example of that. But it really was a good feeling today to have. Just to be happy for the sake of being happy.

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I read that the cocoa industry has been suffering due to lowered demands for luxury goods, such as chocolate. This must be a massive blow to chocolate corporations as this is their peak season. Luckily, I’ve put it upon myself to help save these struggling corporations this Easter by ingesting obscene amounts of chocolate.

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I am afraid that my corona diary is becoming awfully repetitive. Monumental events always seem much more interesting in hindsight, but for those living through them, they can feel almost anti-climactic (unless of course you are directly affected by the crisis).

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2 173 cases. 80 085 tests conducted. No new deaths. […] Today was Easter. My family spent the day in [the] kitchen. We made a lamb shoulder and malva pudding with roast potatoes and vegetables, and even dove into the top shelves of the wine rack. It was lovely to spend the time together as a family. In the evening we watched [an] Andrea Bocelli concert that was live streamed on YouTube from Milan. […] My cello teacher who had tested positive is now fully recovered. My parents are hoping their businesses will open soon and that their cash flow can resume.

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According to a report I read on News24 today, due to the two-week lockdown extension, the worst-case Covid-19 scenario for South Africa is that the peak would now take place in September. Previously, without the five-week lockdown, South Africa was estimated to reach its peak coronavirus infections in July. However, with the lockdown now in place, and with the worst-case scenario, the government is gaining two more months to prepare for a mass surge in infections.

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Today, on Easter Sunday, as churches stand empty, South Africa officially has 2 173 confirmed Covid-19 cases. I have been reading some news articles and stumbled across an interview that saddens me in a ‘reading about the starving children in Africa’ kind of way. The interview was between correspondents from the World Economic Forum and two refugees in North-western Kenya. They spoke about how the lockdown and curfew had ruined them financially, and explained that they rue the day when the virus reached their refugee community because they all live in such close proximity in the camp, meaning that social distancing will not be possible. If well developed countries are struggling to contain the spread of the virus, imagine the dangers posed by it reaching communities without running water, proper sanitation and food security.

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It’s Easter today. We celebrated with a church service in the morning, and then we just basically chilled the rest of the day. The service was really good. […] Later I tried to take a nap but I was too anxious. It’s so frustrating when you can’t even sleep because you’re so stressed about the future. I think maybe if I start to spend less time on my phone then I will get more done. That is going to be difficult though.

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Today is Easter Sunday, meaning I can finally eat my Easter eggs! You’re never too old for Easter eggs no matter what anyone says. After lunch, my eldest sister and I made origami cranes and butterflies. That’s one new skill I’ve learnt during this time. I’m quite good at it. After mastering my new skill, I had a quick video call with my friends. I’m not very socially active, but I do miss seeing my friends once in a while. I think this is the longest I’ve gone without seeing my best friend. To me, that’s the biggest problem with the lockdown. I usually just rotate between home, friends’ homes and my Stellies [Stellenbosch] home. I never thought I’d say it, but I miss being in Stellenbosch. I miss the people and the atmosphere, honestly not so much the work, but I’m sure I’ll get there. What I do know is that when this is over, going back is going to feel so great. The National Defence force arrived in Paarl yesterday. The municipality announced that they would be deployed in certain parts of Paarl. I do think this was a necessary step as many of our people are not taking this serious enough.

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EASTER SUNDAY! Today was a very interesting day compared to all the other Easter Sundays that I’ve had in my life. My mom went to buy hot cross buns on Thursday, so we’ve actually been having hot cross buns for lunch for a couple days now. At least hot cross buns have remained a normalcy during this period. We didn’t have any Easter eggs this year either. I think this was due to a combination of two factors: namely, Covid-19 and becoming an adult. I guess that the lack of Easter eggs is another disadvantage of growing up. We also didn’t have a big lunch, or have any family and friends over, or visit any family and friends. However, my family did end up having about a three-hour video call with all my extended family.

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I woke up originally at 4:00 am to the sound of pouring rain. It was so calming to hear and just set the mood for this Easter Sunday. I think today is a rather sad day for many people because Easter is highly correlated with family time, and this is obviously not possible this year. I know I was quite sad because it is our tradition to have a massive Easter lunch with my grandparents, but we couldn’t do that this year. However, we are fortunate enough to be living down the road from them, so this morning we dropped a little gift basket and gave a wave through the window. After that our day was filled with a wholesome meal and one too many chocolates.