East Dean with Friston Parish Magazine May 2020 online edition

Living in Lockdown
South Africa
Our lockdown commenced at midnight
Thurs 26 th March, a few days after the UK’s,
although it is far stricter. No going out
(except to food shop), no exercise outside,
no walking the dog and no purchase of
alcohol or cigarettes. For the first week, the
children basically had an extended Easter
break. Normally we’d be out - going to the
beach, on our bikes and scooters or meeting
up with friends for lunch. We had to quickly
adapt with a new daily structure- including
housework, exercise, downtime, and play.
The roads became quieter, the air cleaner,
we could hear more birdsong and it is
peaceful and calm. In less privileged areas -
specifically in the townships, it is widely
reported how difficult it is to practise social
distancing given how many people (and
often of different generations) live together
and in close proximity. This, and the high
incidence of HIV and TB in this country
along with other prominent health issues is
what concerns our government the most
regarding Covid-19.
So far, the number of new cases and deaths
reported support the strict lockdown is
working - slowing down the rate of infection
and buying time for an already strapped
healthcare sector to prepare for a potential
onslaught.
We have found various ways to “cope”. We
run a loop around the house with the dog for
a few kms, or watch Joe Wicks on
YouTube We breathe in the fresh air, we
don’t wake up to alarms, life is slower. My
children have discovered new friends next
door so they hang over the walls chatting.
We take advantage of new food delivery
services, we eat meals and cook new recipes
together more than we ever have done
before. The kids now have structured daily
schoolwork sent through which helps define
the days. My husband works at keeping his
business going in a separate part of the
house, but we enjoy having him “around”.
This is not forever, we try to keep very
present. We are happy, all will be back to a
new normal soon. Diane Hill (Jill and Phill
Hill’s daughter-in-law)
Australia
Here, in SW Australia, we are feeling very
grateful. There have been just nine cases, all
more than two weeks ago, thanks to
restrictions on regional travel and social
distancing. We've been self-isolating as a
family for a month now, but thankfully still
able to escape to a remote beach or get out
for a forest walk or cycle daily. Being so far
from family is tough, yet having spent most
of our adult lives abroad, they’re well versed
in video chats, so vamping up time with
them, especially Mum, has been easy and a
lovely silver-lining.
Locally, anxiety is high due to the economy
being fuelled by tourism; however, schools
will be reopening soon, much to the delight
of India (6) and Mara (3 and 3/4), a
significant leap back to normality for so
many of us, bringing a huge sense of
(nervous) relief to our entire community.
Maybe, just maybe, we may escape the full
force of COVID-19. So, our prayers remain
with you and across the UK, Italy (where
both our girls were born) and for swift
healing around the globe. Amy Carter-James
(Steph Carter’s daughter)
New Zealand
There are moments in life you never forget.
Hearing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s
March 23 rd announcement that NZ would go
to Level 4 lockdown at midnight on March
25 th is one. In that moment we knew that we
would be isolated at home in our ‘bubble’
for at least 28 days.