We are here, five months of a very weird lockdown later and we are now on a soft lockdown with level 2 having hit South Africa. It has been a very long time since we were able to live life like we can now. Russia might have a vaccine, but the virus is still out there. Our government is still corrupt. Most companies got away with TERS fraud. The most toxic companies are rushing to have employees back in the office, and self-righteous friends are still staying locked up and shouting at you for going to Yours Truly on Tuesday.
Between Russia, racism, corporate abuse, the virus and friends shouting at you. How are we supposed to survive level 2? Fortunately, I have a handy guide of 5 ways you can survive level 2 of lockdown in South Africa.
1. Don’t be ‘that guy’.
Your friends are going to be keen to see each other. They are going to make plans. Let them live.
We have been locked up for 5 months, if people aren’t desperate to see each other by now, they would have some serious issues. Don’t judge people for being keen for vibes.
Remember that whole “no-man is an island” adage. Who in their right mind can stay semi-locked up for 5 months and then not make plans when they are allowed to?
Maybe some people, but definitely not most people. Let people live. Stop judging them and relax a bit. We have slowed the spread to a certain degree, that was the goal – not stopping the spread. In hindsight that was never possible.
2. Don’t go to clubs and be that other guy.
Yes we can see our friends and family now. We can Zol, we can drink and hit the clubs before 10. Just because we can do all of that doesn’t mean we should.
Do most of it, but going to a club and dancing while intoxicated. Friend, are you asking to create a new virus mixed in with COVID? Some STD/COVID blend. Please don’t do that.
Also don’t get sloshed and get into a fight, then overwhelm our hospitals. If alcohol makes you want to throw fisty-cuffs, get help and stop drinking.
3. Watch a mask tutorial
Look I hate masks as much as the next guy, and when I’m exercising, by myself, outside, I don’t wear one. But South Africa, even though they disturb God’s clean breathing system, they do work.
As a nation though, we suck at wearing masks. It needs to cover your NOSE AND YOUR MOUTH. There are tons of mask options available, find one that fits your face properly and wear it properly when you are around people.
If I see one more person in a grocery shop with a mask falling off their face, or some terrible excuse for a mask like an elastic holding up a mini bean bag. I think I might slap someone. By the way, I have actually seen someone wearing a mini beanbag held up by an elastic as a mask.
4. Be angry with your boss
This might be terrible advice. However, if your boss has asked you to go back to the office full-time but hasn’t returned you salary back to what it was before lockdown you should be angry.
You have the right to be angry and to start asking questions. Just because you are one of the fortunate people who kept their job doesn’t mean your boss can abuse you.
If they’re racist, be angry. If they committed TERS fraud, or did anything wrong like most companies have over the last few months, be mad.
Fight the power.
5. Go outside and spend less time on the internet.
Go for a hike, a walk, a cylce, a skate or anything outside. Do it with friends, enjoy being outside. Enjoy being able to see people again.
Go to a wine farm or on a weekend away, enjoy the life that we are blessed with!
Take a break from reading twitter, scrolling through Instagram, hunting for jobs on LinkedIn and from your failed lockdown Tik Tok career.
On twitter you’ll just find ‘that guy’ and feel guilty for wanting to see family for the first time in 5 months. On Instagram you’ll be shocked by how irresponsible rich white people are. On LinkedIn you’ll just see the economic impact of COVID and get exhausted. On Tik Tok, well, that app is for teenagers anyway you can leave it alone now.
Relax and take a break. You can legally do that now.
Oh! Also, If you’re sick, stay home.
If you’re sick stay home from everything. If someone has organised something with more people than you are comfortable, don’t go. If you feel something might put you at risk of spreading or getting COVID, you are allowed to avoid it. Just don’t be ‘that guy‘ as mentioned.
To end, I do want lean on something Cyril wrote this week.
Sidenote: Do we still like him like we did in March, or what’s the deal there?
While we do have a lot more freedoms now. We have to be aware that cases will probably start to rise again, which is bad. However, in all honesty we cannot be locked up for any longer.
So we should use our new freedoms but still take real and serious precautions. To quote a famous advertising phrase, we should “Enjoy responsibly”.