KNYSNA NEWS - Attentively listening to every sound made by barking dogs, by people fixing their things and by my fingers as they beep across the keyboard while I text my conversations with my wife and family on WhatsApp.

This might sound like the worst situation, but for me, I have adapted to the situation eventually.

Before the start of the lockdown, I drove to Komani also known as Queenstown to collect some stuff and buy some food for my family for the 21 days.

Already on my way back the following morning, there were police officers and department of health workers everywhere. I was prepared for the lockdown, but as the first week came to an end, I started to feel bored by the same daily routine.

I wake up every morning, take a bath and go through the news sites just to get a glimpse of what is happening out there. Although life continues for the people outside, I keep myself disciplined and resist the temptation to go out into the streets.

The only exercise I get is to go to the gate and check the situation around the location over the fence and go back to my room.

There is not much to be done in a four-room house with no TV, no games, and no one to talk to. My phone is the only means of communication as I have to call people just to check how things are and what the latest in their area is.

The only thing I can do every day is watch movies, read a book, work, eat a lot or go outside to watch people going up and down the streets. Laugh at them as they run to their homes when they see a police van pass.

The only time I have to leave the property is when I go to town to buy food. That is when I practise everything – from keeping the social distance to sanitising my hands frequently, and that has now firmly stuck in my brain.

I’ve learnt not to shake hands, to greet people as if they were strangers, and not to get close to anyone.

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