Life in the Time of CoVid-Day 14 Lockdown
April 9, 2020-Day 14 of SA Lockdown:
South Africa: 1,749 CoVid cases; 13 deaths (as of 4-8); Durban Hospital Closed Indefinitely Due to CoVid-19 Outbreak
China Lifts 76-Day Lockdown of Wuhan City
As you’re reading this we are probably winging our way from Cape Town to Lome (the capital of Togo) to refuel, then onto Dulles Airport in Washington, DC. The South African U.S. Embassy team came through (even with all my complaining.) They managed to organize flight from three SA cities: CapeTown, Johannesburg & Durban. Another flight from Cape Town back to D.C. is scheduled for Friday. A cursory snoop at the email chain noted 375+ names on the list. I know how many are on the list because once the flights were announced a slew of folks frantically emailed questions—with way too many clicking “reply all.” Several on the list, who’d been keen to leave, now that the flights are set, have backed off. Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Reading the stats does make one pause. Flying from calm into the storm of full-blown CoVid Pandemic seems counter-intuitive. Nevertheless, we packed and flew.
It’s been almost a month since we arrived, since South Africa was CoVid free, since we rode—and finished—the Cape Argus, celebrated the Festival of Charles, spotted zebra, giraffe, bouncing springbok, rhinos, hippos, lions at Shamwari. Fortunately, we can entertain ourselves with virtual Game Drives at Shamwari and you can too.
USA: 404,580 CoVid cases NY: 38, 863 cases; 5,489 deaths—New York Death Toll Swells by 779.
Turn the volume up super loud and you can be That Neighbor! (Keep reading you’ll see what I mean.
We are leaving South Africa with grateful, full hearts, and some sadness. We’re leaving with lighter bags (as, despite being on commercial airlines, came with bag limits) and sadness. It feels more as though we’re moving than returning home. No telling if we’ll ever see Gloria, our now friend and lovely hostess—who cooks a tasty breakfast and crunchies again. And truth is we were really thinking we’d be back in Port Alfred with Shona & Charles, so we didn’t really say a proper goodbye. We’ll miss them, their family and our friends. Leaving with CoVid-19 on the rise is frightening and worrisome
On a brighter note, I had to share this article on coping with noisy neighbors now that so many are working from home. Laughed out loud when I read this line:
"There are two kinds of people: cowards and psychos.”-NYT 4-8-20
Although I didn’t write a Lockdown post yesterday, I was here with a 7-Minute Poetry Challenge.
#134-Zoo Lovers Testify!
After all, it is April, poetry month, and what better time than in the midst of a pandemic for poetry. Click over. Your prize will be pics of our tumbley grandboys dressed as wild animals.
Here’s to Walking on the Wild Side again, soon!