For the first time, probably not in a long time but the very first time ever, people have had to stay indoors and avoid all public engagements as an effective measure that can control the spread of a disease that grew from an epidemic to a pandemic in a matter of days.
Coronavirus is the name and the threat to human life, it is.
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Since President Akuffo-Addo’s directive for all public gatherings to be suspended, many have had to stay indoors. But for this directive a normal Accra dweller would have a weekend filled with various engagements weekly.
Question is, how has this been for the many residents in the bustling city of Accra that until recently never stood at a halt? How are citizens coping with having to stay home not just compulsorily but now as a sign of love for humanity and a high sense of patriotism?
Throughout the week, various media discussions monitored by ‘Accra This Week’ gave way for citizens to share their experiences on how the lockdown has been for them. When the flood gates were opened, the stories that came were a mixture of the sad, funny and one would say, thoughtful ones.
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Whiles some residents share on how they have been able to spend the time reading or catching a new hobby, many, especially those whose income are accrued on daily basis (popularly called ‘by-day’) have complained about how this period is a toll on their daily living. Many thus used the opportunity they got on air to call on the government to come to their aid. Happily, there is a 1 million dollar loan facility the government accessed from the World Bank that would have some go into helping households with subventions that should be able to help them cater for their needs.
Some had hilarious stories on share on how they’ve spent the week so far indoors. A texter shared “I was so bored that I went out, knocked my door and came back in to respond who’s there?”
Another texter, also shared on how he was able to take count of the number of sticks in two different brand packs of spaghetti. Apparently, he found out that one had more sticks than the other. Having chalked such a success, he promised to take count of grains in the Cindy and Millicent rice bags in the coming days. “Now that is boredom!”
‘Accra This Week’ posed a simple question to some residents in the capital; “how has the first week of lockdown been?”
Every response we got had a sense of “boredom” lingering in there but there was more to add.
Sarfo, who is a student took it from the angle of schools having to migrate online for their lectures. He says, “It has been restful and I have more time to prepare for assignments given us. The new way of learning has been interesting and weird but feasible through telegram and google classroom. It’s different but I think it is helpful and we can use it for academic purposes even after this pandemic.”
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Narkie puts is simple and says “Very boring”. For Zeeya however, the week has been both fun and boring. “Fun because I get to watch TV and listen to radio programs I find interesting. And boring because I don’t get to see and talk to friends” She said.
From what Desmond shared with us, one could relate the lockdown and this whole “corona” pandemic to a typical ambush. He shares “It’s been pretty much boring. It came suddenly so I had no plans in place. And even if there were plans in place, Covid-19 wouldn’t permit for that. So, I’ve just been indoors”. On his path, Raphael, relating it to incarceration said “I can’t go out and everything is like being in a prison”.
For some, it seemed to be a good time to catch up on lost time. Elsie shared “The week has been good. I have finished almost all assignments, rested enough; so I’m good”.
At Friday’s press briefing session at the ministry of information, vice president of the Ghana Psychological Association, Dr. Badu Agyemang shared provided education on some ways we can go about making this period a positive one for all of us. Amongst other things, he gives these guidelines we could make use of in the period;
- Exercising
- Adopting a hobby
- Taking online courses
- Connecting with people through electronic means. He said “social distancing does not mean emotionally we should be distant”.
- Taking up some tasks that we would have gone out for. These include pedicure and manicure, washing our own cars,
- Families should also come together in prayer
- People working from home should manage their time as though they were in the workplace
- Avoid reading everything corona. By this, he explains that time spent behind the television should be reduced.
- Be positive
- Social distancing is an appeal to our sense of discipline and we should do well to stick with them.
For Parents;
- Activity time to help parents bond with children
- Training and engaging the children by making them take up house chores
- Playing indoor games with Children
- An opportunity for us to catch up with lost time like telling the children Ananse stories
The coming weeks will be great should we take these professional advises serious. Like the rhetoric has been all this while “This too shall pass”.
