18 April 2020
Saturday · Day 23 of lockdown
President Ramaphosa rejected a request by a liquor forum in Gauteng (representing over 20 000 liquor and shebeen operators) to lift the ban on the sale of alcohol. In Nigeria, the chief of staff to the Nigerian president died after testing positive for the virus. Walmart, the largest US retailer, made it mandatory for employees to wear masks or other face coverings at work. Canada’s minister of transport announced that all airline passengers would need to wear masks or face coverings to cover their nose and mouth while travelling. Although sports of all shapes and forms had been cancelled around the world, Taiwan allowed its baseball league to continue playing. They broadcast their live games to the world at a time when there was a severe shortage of live sporting events to watch.
I am trying to enjoy the last few days before classes start, but honestly I cannot wait for 20 April. I feel extremely stagnant (as I am sure most people are feeling right now). The world seems to have come to a complete standstill. All commercial activities have ceased, the streets are deserted and everything feels very quiet. Every day I try to have my lunch outside for a bit of fresh air and to escape from the suffocation I experience when staying inside with the same people for so long. The standard Johannesburg buzz is gone and I can only hear birds and other subtle sounds of nature.
If there is one positive outcome to all this, I think it must be that the environment will be able catch its breath for a second or two. The canals of Venice are clear, deer are roaming the streets of urban areas in Japan and air pollution is said to be at a sudden low. I know all of this will quickly be eroded once lockdown is lifted and the world tries to carry on as normal, but for just a split second nature shows us who came first and what will carry on once we are gone.
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3 034 cases. 108 021 tests. Two new deaths bringing the count to 52. Very slow day. Played games with the family and painted. More groceries are delivered, and then sent outside to be left in the sun. Some things that needed to be refrigerated or frozen were washed in the sink in soapy water. I felt ridiculous watching my mom do that, but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures. My parents’ companies are waiving wage cuts, and aren’t too sure what to do with pending stock orders, etc. I think many businesses also face ethics of who do they pay first? Staff? Suppliers? Rent?
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Today I took my grandpa on a grocery trip. I had offered to do it alone, but he insisted on coming because he hasn’t left his house in over a month. I can only imagine that this is the case for many elderly people. Fortunately, in our community I have seen many organisations that have started doing grocery shopping on behalf of the elderly. It is always amazing to see something positive in a time like this when everything seems to be so negative.
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This evening my family and I watched the World Health Organisations live virtual concert. The concert featured many global artists and aimed to bring the world together and to encourage people to take meaningful action in protecting our own health and supporting the global response to Covid-19. It was also a way to celebrate and show support for our frontline healthcare workers who are risking their own lives to save others.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the concert, especially Lady Gaga’s performance, and I think it was a great way to try and spread a little bit of happiness and positivity during these daunting and uncertain times.
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I spent the majority of my day studying. I’ve been thinking of the matrics a lot lately. I spoke to a few of my friends and they said their teachers are keeping in contact via Whatsapp groups and Google classrooms. They still have assignments due and are expected to hand them in. So far it seems as if their tests will be taking place through Google forms. I can’t imagine how stressful this time must be for them. This is such an important year, not only academically but socially too. They are missing out on all the lasts of high school.
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Today was an absolute scorcher. […] On such days there really is only one thing to do. Light a fire, throw on a braai, prepare a few salads, laze under the umbrellas, refresh in the swimming-pool, laugh with family and of course feast!
I have decided to take this weekend to kick my feet up, perhaps with just a few preparations for university which will commence via an online process from Monday. I enjoyed alcohol for the first time since the lockdown began after my father managed to convince me to join him in drinking a few gins mixed with dry lemon. A decision I do not regret!
My puzzle-building skills continue to improve, even if I do say so myself. I am currently working on a 1 500 piece puzzle of the African jungle. Needless to say, it’s an absolute nightmare, but ‘boy oh boy’ do I love it!
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Today, just after breakfast, my sister, my girlfriend and I all decided that it would be a really great idea to set up a tent in our garden and to sleep in it tonight. I went to the bottom garages and found a tent that had not been used in about ten years. After considerable planning and procrastination we got ready to set up the tent. Even though there was three of us and it was supposed to be a team activity, I ended up doing 90% of the work while the two ladies just stood and watched me do it. […] I am writing this entry in my room after supper and before we migrate to the tent. I will provide an update tomorrow as to how our ambitious expedition went. Wish me luck!
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Today I decided. No television. No cell phone. No social media. I woke up excited and ran to my mother’s room. I told her that today we are going to paint. I went to the cupboard to get newspapers, paint and everything else we needed. We painted the whole day. It was very relaxing. After that there was a huge storm. We heard a big lightning strike. The next moment our electricity was off. After a few moments, the electricity came back on but our TV and Wi-Fi were broken. Luckily, internet service providers are now designated as essential so we can fix the Wi-Fi on Monday. For now, I am enjoying not to have any internet related distractions. I can focus on myself, take a bubble bath, read a book and sleep tight. This is just what I needed before university starts on Monday … online university.
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Even though there has been a decrease in murders, robberies and hijackings, gender-based violence remains a problem and has actually increased during lockdown. Safe houses set up to serve as first-stage shelters for victims of gender-based violence have been opened. Police Minister, Bheki Cele, was quoted saying that law enforcement had received 87 000 gender-based violence complaints in the first week of the lockdown. This figure is disgusting.
No amount of economic stress, anger or otherwise should ever culminate in the physical, sexual or emotional abuse of another human being. As South Africans (and South African men), we should not behave like this.
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I really thought that I’d be annoyed with my family by now, but surprisingly enough, I feel as though we’re getting along much better than I thought we would under the current circumstances. I think part of the reason is we understand that we all have our work/ studies prioritised, and by figuring out together how to make home our place of work and play, and being respectful of one another’s time and space, we were/are able to get along much better for such a prolonged period of time.