It’s a strange situation to be in.

One of the main reasons I had made the decision to not make this my permanent home is the the sense of isolation and distance from family and friends in the US. Just knowing how far it is and how long it takes to go back and forth between the two locations was what clinched that deal. I was so afraid of getting stuck here.

But now I am in this situation, whether I want to be or not! South Africa on lockdown (I’ll explain more in a bit) and the US has closed its borders. I can contact the Embassy and probably be airlifted out of here but once I got there, where would I go? I’d have to go into isolation and as I don’t have a home there, it would have to be an hotel which would break my bank.

So I look at my situation and figure - ok, I have a place to stay; the exchange rate is way in my favor; I do have friends and family here so may as well make the best of it!

COVID-19 in South Africa

The social isolation rules went into effect here earlier this week. But I have serious doubts about them in this country. It works for the “privileged” who live in the suburbs and cities in what most (I think) Europeans and North Americans would consider the norm. But the majority of the South African population lives out - way out - some in areas with no running water, no infrastructure as we know it. The townships are teeming hives of communicable diseases like TB and of course, HIV/Aids.

And what’s scary is that many of the people not only don’t have the choice of social isolating and sanitizing, but they don’t even know about COVID-19. These are the people who use the public taxis which seat 15 (I think) but jam in as many people as they can. And then they come to work in the houses as domestic help or work in the shops. (I won’t be having Jabu come in once a week.)

We can do our best to keep a distance, etc but I don’t have a clue how the government can handle this situation.

I’m fortunate in my location as it appears the stores in this area are being meticulous about the sanitizing and most people are very conscious of the issues. Lots of sanitizer at strategic locations in the shops for the workers and customers. And of course, I have a bottle in my car and one in my purse!

And I am being prudent - I went to the grocery store early this morning before any crowds and stocked up on basic stuff, but not hoarding. No shortage of toilet paper or anything - except bulk sanitizer. So I don’t have to go shopping for a while and if the shit hits the fan, I am prepared.

And I will take advantage of still being allowed to go out and enjoy the beach and meet friends for coffee in the sidewalk cafes. The cafes have re-configured the layouts so customers are not close to each other and keeping their max capacity to below the legal limit of 50 people.

So I think of where I could be - stuck in a highrise in New York on the 35th floor, with no opening windows and nowhere to go. Or in Italy as my friend Sue’s family is and where she would have been if she hadn’t changed her flight early on. We both went through a bit of a meltdown when we realized we are “stuck” here.

The Universe works in wonderful ways. All those years of being isolated down in the house in Washington has prepared me for this and maybe I’m just supposed to be here longer? Who knows…

Stay safe, everyone.