Simple lessons learnt during the Covid-19 Pandemic lock down
In my part of the world, the Covid-19 virus first hit our shores at the end of January 2020. First detected in travellers from a neighbouring country, it soon gained a foothold and in early March local transmission cases were detected. The government soon imposed a ācordon sanitaireā on the general population to slow down the spread of the virus.
The authorities ordered industries, business premises, shops, government offices, schools and institutions of higher learning to close, except for those providing essential services and goods. Restrictions on general population movement included all kinds of social, religious, sports, recreational and cultural activities.
Soon the economy came to a screeching halt and the lockdown orders resulted in massive disruption to daily life. People were generally confined to staying within their homes except for the occasional trips for essential services such as grocery shopping, etc. Even then, only one designated member of the family was allowed the privilege of doing so. In short, I soon learnt what it meant to be under āhouse arrestā.
Within the confines of our home thereās lots of time for soul searching and these are some simple lessons which I learnt during those dismal days.
The fragility of institution of marriage or āTill the lockdown do us apartā
The Covid-19 lockdown exposed the fragile nature of the institution of marriage, which is one of the fundamental building blocks of society. Many nations around the world reported rising trends in divorces as married couples discovered that there is such a thing as spending too much time together.
While many people welcomed and enjoyed the additional face time with their spouse and family members, there are, undoubtedly, others who found that the continuous proximity forced upon them by the lockdown to be more than tolerable. It is sad that so many marriages failed to pass this crucial test of marital tolerance.
People cannot cut their own hair or how I miss my barber
As the lockdown extended beyond the first couple of weeks, people missed the simple joy of visits to their friendly neighbourhood barber or hair salon. And those who tried to take matters into their own hands soon regretted the decision. Inevitably they found out the hard way that cutting your own hair at home is much harder than it seems. Fortunately for them, one benefit of working from home is that you can always switch off the laptop camera to spare yourself the embarrassment of a bad home made hair cut.
I canāt bake or how I miss neighbourhood bakery/coffee shop
As the lockdown dragged on, the extended closure of the neighbourhood bakery and coffee shop denied many people the convenience of freshly baked bread and brewed coffee. Even though food delivery is always an option, the experience and taste can never compare to being served piping hot coffee and pastries straight from the oven.
Help! Iām gaining weight or how we all missed the neighbourhood park/playground.
In many countries the lockdown was so stringent that movement beyond your own homes were prohibited, except for essential services and needs. People subjected to such Draconian measures sorely missed the simple pleasure of the evening stroll with the family at the neighbourhood park. Things were doubly bad for fitness enthusiasts who soon had to learn to make do with jogging on the spot and body weight exercises within the confines of their homes.