‘I leave my son at the door…to grab a few groceries’- single moms open up about their lockdown experiences

With the implementation of various measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in SA, several measures, such as social distancing are being implemented by all spheres of society. Social distancing has also been firmly implemented in the retail shops and various stores have implemented the practice of only letting a limited number of customers at a time into their stores to ensure that social distancing is maintained at all times during shopping trips. While this is commendable it has also resulted in the creation of long queues everywhere. Moms, single moms in particular face the situation that they must stand in queues to get essentials, and this is made even more complicated by the fact that most shops are also not letting moms bring children into shops.

Also Read: List of online stores which deliver as coronavirus numbers rise in SA

This is how mums are coping with this situation:

So Covid-19 has really changed simple things like going to the store, especially when you can’t leave your child alone at home. What I do with my son is that I take him along with me. I obviously follow along the precautions and we follow precautions like having him putting on his mask and we travel together to the shops. Most shops don’t allow children in I’ve noticed, more so your grocery stores. I’m lucky enough that I don’t go too far out to do my shopping so where I go shopping here I  know the people at the door because I’m a regular shopper there so I leave my son at the door with them and quickly go inside to grab a few groceries. Its a risk I know but you also have no choice because you need groceries. – Lindiwe Dlamini,  East Rand

Being a mother of a one-year-old it’s very challenging going shopping in these quarantine times. In most cases shops even if they let you come in with your child, but now you cant put a mask over a small infant. It’s uncomfortable and they usually take it off. But you can’t also risk leaving them behind. In my case, I stay alone so I’d have to leave them with a neighbor and I  wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that. At the end of the day you also cant asked someone to go shopping for you cause they won’t get the exact stuff that you want. So I take him along and cover him up as much as I can.  Anonymous, West Rand

It’s pretty nerve-wracking to go out during its time. In the beginning, I always made sure that I cover the baby up so that she wouldn’t be exposed. make sure but I made sure I kept my distance and wiped down everything. But it’s hard because a lot of other people don’t adhere to social distancing so I’ve now resorted to ordering online but many people can’t access online shopping. Overall I feel like there needs to be a better system when it comes to Covid-19 shopping when it comes to mothers because most of us don’t have anybody to look after our kids. I have to go to the store with my child and its so stressful for me. Not so long along I went to the Bayside mall Checkers and I found out that a day later somebody in the store tested positive. That was so nerve-wracking for me. There definitely should be different measures for moms, especially those of us who have to take care of little babies. – Jaqueline Tarin, Cape Town

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