Hoping for a return to life as we know it

The novel Coronavirus pandemic has surely changed life as we know it. Businesses, schools, sports, and many other recreational activities have all come to a halt, something we have not seen in modern history.

On Thursday, 11 March 2020, citizens were busy with their normal day-to-day activities, when Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize, announced that the first case of the novel Coronavirus had been confirmed in South Africa. According to Mkhize, the patient was a 38-year-old male who had travelled to Italy with his wife. “They were part of a group of 10 people who arrived back in South Africa on March 1, 2020,” Mkhize said.

Initially, this was not a concern to me and most people in the country. Social media users were creating memes, sharing funny posts, and even joking about the virus. It was just one case and therefore there was nothing to be worried about. Minister Mkhize also assured the public that the Department of Health had the situation under control and that the public need not panic.

Things started turning upside down when the cases started to increase. Every day we started hearing about new cases. Whenever we saw Mkhize on our screens, our hearts sank because we were expecting more bad news.

Reality began to sink in when the number of confirmed cases reached over a hundred. New measures were taken, restrictions became stricter and people became more cautious. On Tuesday, 14 March, the North-West University decided to shut down the campus, including all its residences. At that point I was stuck, we were given some time to get our things in order and evacuate campus.

The number of confirmed novel Coronavirus cases in the country were 274 when I left Potchefstroom to travel to the Vaal area on Sunday, 22 March 2020. I was now entering Gauteng, the epicentre of the virus in the country. It was like entering a foreign land – the atmosphere was different, everyone was extremely cautious, and lifestyles were changing. My plan was to stay in my brother’s house for a week and then leave for home in Limpopo.

My plans were interrupted when President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the 21-day-nationwide lockdown, which took effect on Thursday, 26 March 2020. I never experienced anything like it before, and with the media displaying pictures of people panic-buying and travellers rushing back to their home provinces, it seemed like the end of the world as we know it.

For me, it meant spending several weeks alone at my brother’s house. I have been here all by myself since the lockdown began. Life has been unusual in these self-quarantining times. Grocery stores, parks, and streets are all empty, our residential area looks like a ghost town.

I have, however, found ways to cope. I have been working on my assignments, my mini-dissertation, research and kept myself updated with the news. I entertained myself with music, binge-watched series, and movies.

At this point, we only hope that the curve will be flattened, the situation gets better and we will be able to get back to life as we know it.