Still reeling from our country going into a lockdown because of the Corona Virus and not 100% sure how I feel about this, so excuse the rambling of an incoherent mind trying to stabilise its thoughts.

This year… Wow, what a ride it’s been. Kicked off January cautiously optimistic after what I considered a devastating 2019, going into this new decade with hope. And BANG!!

I shared this meme somewhere in the beginning of the year, with a side snicker of humour (because how else do we cope with disaster?). We cried with Australia about the sad sad countless deaths of innocent animals, we incredulously watched some world leaders making political decisions that affected world markets and currencies very negatively.

The world watched the whole Megxit saga, again with appropriate visuals and much of a muchness, divided between two camps: “how could they” and a “how dare we judge them” – both pretty vocal about their stance, while I bemusedly wondered how we can get so passionate about people we do not know at all, except for what we read about them. Mostly written by biased, jaded people who will turn to any angle to ensure the next paycheck.

And then… rumours started with a couple of posts about some flu in China that’s been getting steadily worse since December. Next minute, a massive hospital was built in 6 days (pretty much how long it took our Creator to build the planet), Wuhan was on lockdown, and we were fearing for the safety of many people we know that teach English to children in that city.

Still, we felt untouchable. We watched the virus spread and the world map bleeding red around the major cities. Here, in the isolated hamlet of George, what could possibly happen? It all seemed like a post-apocalyptic movie unfolding…… somewhere else. Especially when the W.H.O. declared a global health emergency at the end of January.

Everything became a bit more real when the first ten passengers arrived in South Africa from Italy, and one man tested positive. Still – Gauteng is practically on the other side of the world, it is so far from us.

And now, here we are. Three months after the virus was identified, a country under a 21-day lockdown to try to flatten the curve so that our health services are not overwhelmed by the influx of patients needing care.

As a business owner, I have very mixed feelings about all of this. I fear for my staff members. My company is 19 years old this year. We’ve weathered two recessions, currently in the middle of our third one. Loadshedding, fluctuating markets, constant reinvention and retraining to offer the latest best services to our clients, financial losses, and so much more.

Online is the worst place to be at the moment. I tear up reading posts by people who live under the breadline and who lost their jobs. Close to us, people were retrenched, with no hope of finding alternate employment right now. There are bills to pay, children to feed, day to day expenses.

What about the homeless? The elderly? The young children who got their only meal a day from the school they attended?

I understand the lockdown is necessary. I agree with it with every fibre of my being. I am just so worried about how we will look as a country, as survivors, when we come out of this.