Zimbabwe has 36,535 confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and 1,507 deaths as of March 16, 2021.
These are some of the images and text we've gotten used to seeing, something no-one dreamed or imagined would happen in our time.....but it did. A killer virus that has done what 2 world wars failed to do; which has a stronger will than that of the human heart to survive that it mutates at an unprecedented rate.....
Late March in 2020 when our first lockdown was effected the world around me literally stood still. Every business immediately ceased operation and I remember going home to sit and do nothing, literally just sit and do nothing. The first month was the worst, not knowing if I would have a salary at the end of the month and just feeling so weak and so useless. Coupled to the fear of contracting the virus and being stigmatised and locked away if that ever happened, the fear was unbearable. I missed the freedom of just meeting my girlfriend, giving her a hug, holding her and having to settle for whatsapp conversations. The real downer was celebrating her birthday over the phone. I still remember how low she was and how low that made me feel. That month passed.
In the second month, our workplace had begun moving into the digital space and we started being given data and we got paid. Suddenly I was able to breathe for the first time, the walls didn't feel like they were totally caved in. I started spending more time reading up and thinking of ways I could make my own money, become my own boss. We could travel into town though under strict conditions. It was scary walking into town to discover you're the only one, and after a month of staying home it felt like a taboo to be doing that. This was to be my life for the next 3 months, a new normal.
I can't say I'm totally used to it yet or that I ever will be, but i will continue to survive and enjoy the pleasures life has to offer in this time. We are currently in a second lockdown after about 3 months of no lockdown till December of 2020 and in that time I was able to spend time with the love of my life almost daily and reconnect with her and friends. It makes those moments all the more memorable. Life is short and even moreso now. It's a priviledge to get to spend another day with the people we love and a blessing. This is life during the pandemic
