A NATIONAL state of disaster has been declared as a result of the coronavirus and life as we know it has changed.
It was one thing to read and hear about the corona virus spreading in China toward the end of last year, but quite another to face the reality that the virus has spread worldwide and is affecting us directly from schools closing to travel bans.
We assimilate the news on one level, understanding the increasing numbers and that we need to take precautionary measures such as avoiding crowded places and washing hands repeatedly.
Then on quite another level, a very personal one, we realise with mounting horror that we are all vulnerable and can get affected at any time – and have to cancel our holidays, business trips, seminars, social events, sports activities, maybe even club meetings – and we begin to feel overwhelmed. Our reaction to the daily news broadcasts vary from panic to blasé. The stocks plummet and the effect of the global health crisis is a world-wide economic crisis which we will all feel.
We have had a rush of emails cancelling all manner of events from sports matches/fixtures to theatre and music festivals. This does effect outdoor-loving, sporty and social South Africans.
People who have planned weddings and anniversary celebrations have to re-think dates and numbers. On the plus side, we can cut the guest list and have a legitimate reason to omit those rumbunctious and irritating family members from attending. Or, consider eloping, a delightful and romantic option if travel was not also ill-advised at this time.
We think oh well, we will stay at home as suggested and watch the Super rugby…oh but that has been cancelled and just when The Sharks were performing like stars. Many athletes have been training to compete in big running, cycling and other sports events have had to give up their effort and dreams.
Spontaneous hugs and kisses are now a definite no-no and one stand metres away to greet friends with a salute, or a wave of the ankle? As people approach us to say hello, we find ourselves reversing…and bashing into things, in a bid to keep space between us and ”them”.
And then we go shopping and suddenly realise, there are germs everywhere. We add gloves to our shopping list, just above hand sanitiser and just below toilet paper (this seems to be a worldwide obsession). We hold our breath until we can’t breathe anymore and remove ourselves quickly from the vicinity of the person who has coughed.
We have to cancel visits to recalcitrant nephews languishing in Westville prison and eat the biscuits we baked for them.
And then the schools are closed for an extended holiday, a nightmare announcement for parents who work. And we can’t take them to malls and other places of entertainment so we visit the pharmacy for more sanitisers and Valium, and think a quick stop at the bottle store will not go amiss, considering the circumstances.
But we South Africans are a hardy bunch. Six hours of load-shedding a day, and no refuse removal for weeks, extreme crime and racetrack roadways aside, we strive to survive and with good humour.
I don’t think we must take the jokes amiss. It is our way of handling and sharing yet another crises. It is our way of working through the disaster and coming out the other side, not unscathed, but we crawl out, wounds and all. Besides the psychologists and neuro scientists keep going on about positiveness boosting the immune system and how laughter is great natural medicine, so maybe that is our survival secret.
And then we read on Facebook that the Upper Highway info peeps are calling on us to support the small businesses who will feel the economic decline most and invites them to share their goods and services for all to see for support. And our heart warms to this outreach.
We read other suggestions of us helping the elderly by doing their shopping, and looking after each other’s children and so on. And in this way we find ourselves drawing together again, as only we South Africans know how to do. And while we can’t embrace each other, we can and do embrace ubuntu.
So, while we can by no means sugar-coat the seriousness of the outbreak, and feel like cowering in the corner as the unknown spikes fear in our hearts, we are in this together. So keep washing those hands with soap and huge splashes of humour, and hope for the best.
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