Paragraph on Self Exprience during lockdown
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Answer:
Explanation:An announcement that swiftly changed the mood in my flat from that of quite bliss to jittery unrest. You see up until that day life was normal. It almost felt like india wasn’t going to respond to the COVID19 pandemic at all. There was no panic, no social distancing and no use of hand sanitisers. I felt like we were moving in slow motion and no real action was being taken. I found myself in many an occasion being the only person wearing a face mask in public places. I would use disinfectants to clean the table I sat at in the library and avoid shaking hands with those around me. I used to look around and wonder if people even knew of what was going on. And then all at once everything changed. On 23rd of April we were told that we had 48 hours before the country went into an alert level 4 lockdown for 4 weeks. Alert level 4 entailed all non-essential businesses being shut down, no travelling between localities, no leaving the house except for essential requirements such as groceries, pharmacies, hospital, exercise etc. We had 48 hours to choose where we would live during this lockdown as this couldn’t be changed midway through the lockdown due to the risk of community spread of the virus. For domestic students this decision was simple, most decided to travel home and live with family. But for me, an international student living with two other domestic students, not only was home not an option, but I realised I’d be completely alone in my flat. I won’t forget sitting in a corner watching my flatmates pack their bags getting ready to leave the next day to make it home in time before the lockdown began. Don’t tell anyone but I shed a few tears from stress and uncertainty. I live in an area where all the flats around mine are occupied by students. So needless to say, when I looked out of my window and saw everyone loading full bags into their cars preparing to leave, I felt even worse. The number of emails we received that day from various lecturers and university heads must have been a record of some sort. And none gave us a clear picture of what was happening until the very last one which said that our university was going to go into an extended break during the lockdown period. Receiving this news didn’t make me happy as I was looking forward to online classes as they would give me something to do throughout the day. But the stage was set and the curtains were lifted, this is how life was going to be like for the next four weeks. My flatmates and I had a last dinner together, for a while at least, and had a shot of tequila each, toasting to the success of this lockdown. Tomorrow came too soon and I bid them adieu. As bleak as it was, I knew I had it better off than a lot of people. Unlike so many in this world I was privileged enough to have an “indoors” to go to. So as their cars drove away, I told myself to adjust to these new changes as positively as possible. And that’s all we can really do in life, face every curveball life throws at us positively.
The Grocery Store Mission
Supermarkets and small grocery shops are an essential service and remained open during lockdown. But every trip I made to my local ‘4 Square’, a mini supermarket, was far from normal. A long line would snake its way out of the supermarket doors, each person 2 meters away from the other. Only a few people were allowed inside. I used the strategy of having a septic pocket containing my card, shopping list and an aseptic pocked that held my phone, keys and any other items that needed to remain virus free. I touched only the items I would buy and as I passed them on to the cashier, I noticed the newly installed glass barricades that shielded them from us. As I carried my shopping bags back to my flat, I reach out to adjust my face mask but stop, realising we are not supposed to touch our faces until we’ve washed our hands for 20 seconds at least. Every item I bought, I washed or wiped down with disinfectant. You can never be too careful. With my new haul of food items, I had a week before my next mission to the grocery store.