In March we were asked to isolate for 21 days. No one thought South Africa would still be isolating 35 days later.
With a now struggling economy, as businesses are still closed and many companies not able to open for quite some time, we have been issued a nationwide plan to ease the community back into it’s once normal.
These divide the country into groups allowing certain sectors to return to work at each level from 5 to 1. ( one being the safest level) In hopes to still keep practicing social distancing and flattening the curve of the Covid-19 Corona virus.
It also means that our schools are still closed, and parents are at home with their children.
Essential workers are rallying around to find domestic workers and au pairs in order to card for their children.
What can we expect in level 4 ?
Level 4 is still very much like level 5 with the exception of more people back at work, public transport services working and the inclusion of exercise allowed in the form of walking, jogging, running and cycling between 6am and 9am.
Level 4 has also seen the introduction of a nation wide curfew from 5pm to 6am.
Things you can do during level 4:- Cycle, run, walk within a 5km radius from your home. But only between 6am and 9am.
- Return to another province.
- Attend funerals of close relatives.
- Buy winter clothing as clothing store are now allowed to trade.
- Many sectors return to work. Some on skeleton staff, others still requiring vulnerable staff and those who can work remotely to work from home.
- Postal and courier services resume.
- Use public transport between certain hours in the day.
Those whose companies have opened have been given compliance lists to meet before allowing them to trade.
Some of these include masks and gloves for every employee, sanitization stations, daily temperature screening with digital thermometers and signage.
Things you can not do during level 4: - You may not be out without a work permit, unless getting food or medical assistance.
- You may not travel between provinces and our borders are closed.
- Recreational visits are not allowed.
- Alcohol is not sold.
- Cigarettes are not sold.
- Hairdressers are not allowed to be open.
- No guest house or hotel will be open, except for quarantine purposes.
What does this mean for us?
For us, personally this means that Brent will return to work daily and we have had to implement stricter sanitation at home.
We have bought the regulation masks and face shields and I’m considering gloves if we go out.
With a greater number of people our chances of getting Covid-19 are now higher.
I have sons who are not able to go back to work until level one and financially we as a family need to weigh up the financial implications of this.
My children, who are grown, have been scattered at their various homes and we have not seen them in person since 26 march. With our new level, this wont change much unfortunately.
We let my teen daughter stay with her older sister where she has a more quiet environment, minus a little brother wanting to play all day and better wifi access for schooling and so, we know she is able to keep learning online but realistically it looks like she won’t return to school before mid June.For Hamish and I life will continue very much the same. I normally work from home and homeschool him. I also do not have a domestic so I clean myself.
I find the lockdown has not been too different to our normal life, with the exception of no freedom outside and not seeing my older children.
Our first day of level 4
What was our first day of level 4 like?
We woke to a heavy mist over Cape Town and as we are now in Autumn it is dark at 6am, so our exercise waited until 8am.
At 8am, we headed out to the Myciti bus lane for a quick walk.
Hamish took his scooter and there was pure delight at finally being free enough to just scoot about.
We both missed nature as our flat garden is incredibly small and not at all adventure friendly.Hamish took the time to collect some seeds, flowers, empty snail shells and leaves as nature treasure to take home.
He also spotted a snail trying to cross the path and moved it so that the cyclists wouldn’t ride over it. 
It did us both good to get out. We really needed the little bit of nature around us. There were not many people out in our little suburb and everyone was joyful behind their masks.
The air was filled with happiness and both Hamish and i came inside giggling.
The rest of the day was spent trying to keep Hamish entertained and preferably resting his leg as we have found a bubble at the back of his knee.The doctor thinks this could be a fluid from hurting his leg but we need to wait two weeks to see if it goes down.
Trying to keep an incredibly active 3 year old still …that is a feat harder than enduring 35 days of lock down.
