Remembering Lockdown
“Corona Virus has changed life as we know it. The sooner we accept that, the better.” Jenice Armstrong
Natey turns 3 in September. For more than half of his life it’s been Covid lockdown. I wanted to write a few things about lockdown and life before Covid… Just before I forget.
I remember following the Covid numbers before they reached epidemic proportions. And then listening to President Ramaphosa’s speech when he announced the start of lockdown… It was unreal!
Lockdown started on the 26th of March 2020. One year later, on the 30th of March 2021 I got the Johnson and Johnson Covid vaccine at our local hospital.
Jane wrote: Covid19 is die hartseerste tyd ooit..die hele wêreld het tot stilstand gekom, dit het skielik verander en ons is
verplig om aan te pas in n onsekere toekoms..Die maskers beskerm jou maar steek n glimlag weg wat jy so nodig het ..Als voel en lyk soos n vreemde planeet. Mens kan nie meer spontaan met mense in die supermark praat nie. Elke persoon en item is n moontlike Covid kandidaat. Ek voel ontsaglik jammer vir mense wat geliefdes aan die dood moes afstaan. Baiemale sonder om te groet. Daar is nie hospitaalbesoeke om jou op te beur nie. Jy moet alleen veg teen hierdie onbekende virus. Daar is nie meer spontane drukkies nie. Dis nie n bekende siekte waarteen jy moet baklei nie…Jys nie voorbereid hiervoor nie. Dis soos n vreemde wese wat jou orals wil bekruip en bespring. Net God kan krag en beskerming gee. Die ambulansmanne met hul maskers en klere lyk soos vreemde , ruimtewesens .Als is surrealisties. Bisar. Soos n droom. Wat ek die meeste mis is om onbesorgd saam familie en vriende te kan kuier. By n braaivleisvuur te
lag. Sonder n blou masker. Om n pawiljoen vol mense te sien skree vir ons Bokke!! Skoolkinders op die sportveld. Besoekers by ouetehuise en in hospitale.Maar Covid het ook mense forseer om nuwe uitdagings aan te neem. n nuwe werk, om uit te reik na mense, meer simpatie te wys, die aarde te waardeer en te besef die lewe is kosbaar. Op die ou end is dit net liefde wat almal nodig het.
Ansie wrote: “Vandag bel my buurvrou. Ek wil vir jou Huisgenote bring. So kom sy tot by die heining gee die Huisgenote en tree terug. Automaties tree ek ook terug. So staan ons en kuier. Waar is die dae toe ek met vrymoedigheid kon sê kom in, buurvrou. ” “Voor lockdown… hoe verlang ek na daardie tyd soos lank, lank gelede. Hoe lekker was ons straat braai, hoe lekker het ons bure saam gekuier en projekte saam aangepak. Fyn proewers gewees vir mekaar se gebak. Lang ente saam gestap.””Tog sal mens die mooi van lockdown onthou.”
What do you miss about pre-covid times? Carol wrote: Spending time with family. Visiting Clarens and The Midlands. Our yearly cruises 🚢 and holiday in Mauritius 🇲🇺.
What would you like to remember before Covid? Marion wrote: You asked what it would be we would like to remember before covid. For me I think it’s thinking that there were certain people, small and and big business ventures that we thought could never topple and yet in a blink of an eye huge companies that have lasted for practically forever came crashing down when level 5 lockdown was introduced…which brings one to the realization that we can “never think never”. Massive breweries are now thinking of pulling out of South Africa as they cannot handle any more shutdowns. What a shame that would be.
It’s now more than a year since all of this started, more than a year since heavy lockdown. A lot has happened. Almost everyone I know has had Covid. Some have had it twice and some have even had it three times. Marcus and I are still recovering from Covid.
“I think probably kindness is my number one attribute in a human being. I’ll put it before any of the things like courage, or bravery, or generosity, or anything else.” Roald Dahl
