It is tough being in lockdown.
Today (Thursday) is day 14 of a now=extended lockdown and you have probably noticed one day blending into another.
If you are not working from home, boredom may have set in. There is only so much TV you can watch, including the news about Covid-19 from around the world. You may have information overload – I know I have – you start worrying more – terms such as ‘flattening the curve’, ‘infection rate’ and ‘statistics’ are buzzing in your head.
Some may be exercising – this is not putting the TV on pause and walking to the kitchen for a snack – instead you are focused on staying mentally and physically fit during this trying period.
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If you are with family, you are lucky, bar the minor irritations that may crop up now and then – blame it on being stuck in the same space day in and day out.
Instead, think of the more than 2,500 South Africans stranded in all corners of the globe, many of them at airports while in transit before the lockdown came into effect.
Life has its challenges on a normal day, one can only imagine their thoughts right now. How are they coping? Will they be back home soon? There are more questions than answers.
While some countries are facing the brunt of Covid-19 right now, at the time of writing, South Africa had less than 2,000 confirmed cases with 13 deaths. According to the World Health Organisation on April 8, Italy had recorded 16,525 deaths and Spain 13,055.
What is the infection rate in South Africa? Last week at a press conference, minister of health, Zweli Mkhize said: “We need to test hundreds of thousands of the population to get a better picture.”
It is worrying because by Wednesday this week, according to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, just over 58,000 tests had been conducted.
The stress continues…and what happens after lockdown?
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* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
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