The Final Countdown - Life In Lockdown, Day 0

in hive-174578 •  5 years ago 

It's only minutes to midnight, and once that clock chimes, 32 million Malaysians, including yours truly, will be under "lockdown ". I've been busy with the family, now preparing for Covid-19 (Coronavirus ). I use asterisks, as it's not technically a "lockdown ", but officially referred to as "movement control ".

This was just announced yesterday to help control the outbreak of Covid-19, given that Malaysia now has the highest case count in South East Asia. It's worrying that we now have nearly 700 confirmed cases, and we've also had our first two deaths today, announced just hours ago - a Muslim priest, and a Christian pastor.

Credits to: GIPHY

Though, while the government aims to curtail movement, it seems that Malaysians are taking this chance to start moving about, at least before they can't. Malaysia's yearly schooling session has four scheduled holidays in a year - one week in March, two weeks in July, another week in August, and the final year-end break in November until after New Year's - which is rather generous...

As of two days ago, the first term school holidays have started, and people were anxious whether they should, or shouldn’t travel. It seems that the government's official announcement has people in a bind, now in a hurry to get back to their hometowns, or just somewhere away from the city.

Credits to: Bing Covid-19 Tracker

I'm not entirely sure if travelling is a good idea, and whether it'll actually risk spreading the virus further onto the countryside. It's not just the countryside either, but also along customs. To the north, we have a border with Thailand, and we share a bridge with Singapore to the south. Between us three nations, hundreds and thousands of people travel in and out, to commute to work.

Soon, they might not be able to clock in again until April, and they're taking this chance to travel, and stay in whichever country that they're working in. Also, I've just had to experience my first round of panic buying yesterday, though it wasn’t us who's doing all the buying.

Credits to: The Star Online

Luckily, good ol' mom asked me out to help her with groceries days beforehand, so we didn't need to make any last-minute shopping trips. Still, we've missed out on a few items, and we probably didn't have enough to last until it's all over. Having went to local mini-marts, we saw packs of people waiting in line at the counter, and we just had to shove our way through.

Given that one of the better ways of mitigating Covid-19 is reducing human contact, this wasn't an ideal situation. It's events like these that highlight some of the worse aspects of humanity, and this "herd mentality " that my dad talks about. Whenever someone starts panic buying and picking stuff off the shelves like a maniac, other follow along.

Some people do only purchase what they need, but more people don't. Shelves have been emptied out, as people are grabbing stuff that they either don't need, or just too much of it. As we were walking through the isles, baskets and trolleys were filled to the brim with mountains of goods, while we couldn't even get the stuff that we needed.

Credits to: MalaysiaKini

Rice, noodles, bread, sugar… There were none left. When people start biting more than they could chew, there's less of a bite for everyone else, even for those who really need that bite. Consequently, it looks my mom and I will have to do a couple more grocery trips during the movement control.

This loops back to why it's called "movement control ", and not a full "lockdown ", since it's not as severe as some other countries, for the time being anyways. Sure, businesses, work places, and schools are closed, but markets and grocery shops remain open. Some restaurants, while not allowing dine-ins, still allow for takeaways and deliveries.

Credits to: GIPHY

For now, we don't need permits to leave home, nor are there any severe curfews. Most of the quarantines are voluntary, and this makes me wonder - why are people panic buying stuff? Since shops are still open, and they'll continue to be stocked, why are people grabbing more than they need, all in one day?

In any case, we'll officially be under lockdown soon, and I suppose I'll have more to say tomorrow, with Day 1 starting. It'll last until the 31st of March, so there's plenty to time to think about it, and in the meantime, I'll at least have you to keep me company :-)


Thanks for reading! For more updates on my blogs, or the more minute things in life, feel free to follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn, and maybe give a shout there as well!

While you're at it, follow along @zacknorman97 for more, coming soon :-)

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We are in Lock down here in Canada.

I've heard that too. I'm originally from Canada and all my family is there. Honestly I'm glad Canada has pulled the trigger already. Spain is going to be a disaster, and it's getting kinda nervous here. The situation would be so much better if they had acted quicker and made the decision. I think Canada is doing the right thing and will be one of the least affected countries. Where in Canada are you?

I’m in Ontario and we have been hit hard .... 90% of cases are travellers....

Sorry to hear that lads 😔. I hope you, and your loved ones are doing well. Stay safe!

I heard from my parents today that Canada is closing the border to the USA. They are tightening up pretty hard it seems, but honestly after seeing what is happening here in Europe I'm so glad they are doing it. Things are completely out of control here, if we had done what Canada is doing some weeks ago things would be so much better.

Canada should have halted all incoming and outgoing Flights 4 weeks ago. 90 % of the Covid19 cases are people who have been on an airplane.

Im in Los Angeles and were all in the same position here.

I heard that it's pretty bad there in California. Hope you're coping well, mate 😃!

its a good reflection on how fragile life is ... at least we get to spend some quality time with the family ( or go insane within 2 weeks ) =) cheers buddy !

Indeed, once you've reduced your life to the bone, you're left being appreciative and happy of what you have 😀. I do look forward to spending some time with the family. No worries about going insane... I've got a stack of movies and games to keep me company. Might start binge watching some TV shows, any recommendations?

Watch the Korean TV series Kingdom !! It's an awesome show .. And suitable for the situation we are in 🤣🤣🤣🤣

It looks pretty cool, though I'm unfamiliar with Korean TV shows. I'll certainly take a look at it. Cheers 😙

I hope you have a Toilet Paper and weed.

Yep in Montreal it's unbelievable for the toilet paper and I don't know why... Crazy

People hoarding.

Yeah, all this panic buying can sometimes get overboard. Weed is bad for you 🌿🙃, but I do have candies and chocolates to substitute! Toilet paper isn't becoming a problem, since we have this...
image.png

You will be ok

No paper, no problems 👍

We have a hand held shower head on our old claw foot tub so we are good to go.

@tipu curate

Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 15/25 - need recharge?)

I'm waiting for the morons in the government here is the States to try this. Guess every time there's a bad influenza season we'll be put in a lockdown. Everyone acts like it's the end of civilization.

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Consider it a drill then. You wanna be on par with the rest of the blowoffs, be my guest. People don't understand the gravity of the situation. Trust me when I say there are things that are bigger than the puny minds of the arrogant ignorant idiots (your peoples).

Certainly not the end of civilisation, but people are getting sick and dying 😷. I get that people might not like lockdowns (including me ), but I think it's a good start to curb spreading the virus. Though, locking down civilisation isn't the end all be all solution, but it's something until we get a vaccine ready to beat Covid-19 💪.

Well, you got your vaccines.

  ·  5 years ago (edited)

Thanks for the mentions, arcange 😁

We are experiencing the same thing here in San Francisco... ours goes to April 7

fellow bay area steemian!

Take care and be safe, lads! Make sure you have your supplies ready... And my warm regards to you Americans 😄.

Yep ... up in San Francisco

Lol the first two paragraphs got me laughing, great piece here. Weldone

You're damn right if it made you laugh, took ages to write that 🤣

Stay safe! We've been in lockdown in Spain for two days officially now. I'm keeping a kind of journal about it, keeping track of every day. I wish we had started the lockdown at 700 cases, it took Spain much too long to react, and now the situation is out of control. Over 1500 new cases every day and rising at this point. I'm trying to follow all the people who are doing a journal of their quarantine experiences. I'm calling mine Quarantine Chronicles and I'm gonna use the tag #quarantinechronicles on all of my posts about it from now on. Use the tag if you want, I'm really into reading other peoples experiences as we all go through this around the world!

I hear it's rather bad in Spain right now, and I hope you and your loved ones are doing alright. Cases in Malaysia are rising fast too, and I hope this partial-lockdown would at least slow that down 😟. I'll be chronicling my experiences under lockdown as well, so I'll be sure to use that tag. Thanks for sharing your story!

I'm not entirely sure if travelling is a good idea, and whether it'll actually risk spreading the virus further onto the countryside. It's not just the countryside either, but also along customs. To the north, we have a border with Thailand, and we share a bridge with Singapore to the south. Between us three nations, hundreds and thousands of people travel in and out, to commute to work.

That is exactly what I am talking about.

These people really are not thinking straight and everyone is rushing to go back at the same time and risk even MORE spread as you know that the largest exposed ethnic group to the virus were among Muslims (especially those who went for the conference ); and they are not 100% certain they are virus free of not.

For now, we don't need permits to leave home, nor are there any severe curfews. Most of the quarantines are voluntary, and this makes me wonder - why are people panic buying stuff? Since shops are still open, and they'll continue to be stocked, why are people grabbing more than they need, all in one day?

Very simple:
Scared to lose, scared to die

Most of the whatsapp group are spreading the fear rumours of a 1 year curfew which I think in some point it is politically driven, making the pandemic is the fear itself, unleashing the worst of human side.

I am grateful that some of the supermarkets are open to seniors and aided citizens first before the public even for an hour; which gives the vulnerable a chance to stay in the game of survival, while other very god-forsaken ugly self-centered fear-driven individuals horde everything (especially the fresh greens and let them rot).

Sometimes I do not know where the wisdom of humans have gone to.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I can't agree more! Indeed, I fear all this traveling in- and out-of state could spread this virus even more. At first I thought, "Well, there's less people in the countryside, so it should be safer! ", until my mom said otherwise, and it gave me second thoughts... For the better!

And I've also heard about all those panic-rumours on WhatsApp, and they're very detrimental to people's reactions. Even my parents, who usually listen to any kind of messages on WhatsApp, knew that this isn't going to be a good idea. I heard that some supermarkets are actually limiting how much a certain person can buy, so they don't hoard all that stuff.

For now, I'll be keeping logs on my experiences, and it's been rather calm for Day 1 thus far. More updates to follow, and thanks for the words of wisdom, mate!

Yes. MyDin in KL area already reportedly limited people from over purchasing to curb limit buying.
All these no thanks to before PM can announce "don't panic" those sensational tabloids already exploited fear especially through Facebook (mainstream media).

So let's do our part and remind our friends to not panic buy, especially fresh items. Even how good your fridge is, the vege cannot last the whole 2 weeks without losing its nutrients + the quantity.

Yes, and we have a Mydin here in Selayang, which we may need to visit sometime this week or the next. Unless you have sci-fi tech, all those fresh goods won't do well in the fridge for that long 🤣. I've already reminded people on Twitter, and on my personal chats to stop panic-buying stuff, and hoarding more than you need!

👍
Yes, and remind them, Selayang hospital has a trauma tent outside; and if you need to check through Klinik Kesihatan Kota Damansara also have COVID-19 (mini) trauma tent outside also

Ah, thanks for the info! Selayang Hospital isn't the best for parking, or waiting times, but it's close by. Good if my family and I need to go for a checkup anytime soon.

In Serbia we are in quarantine- day 2. Still we are allowed to go out until 20.00h but I’m sure that it will be changed soon, until total locked down. I think that this is one big lesson for whole planet earth and people that we can win this battle only if we united together. Keep safe 🙏

I think that this is one big lesson for whole planet earth and people that we can win this battle only if we united together. Keep safe 🙏

Thanks for sharing your story, and your kind words! Malaysia has a partial lockdown for the time being, though I fear an escalation of cases could ramp that up to a full lockdown. Hope you and your loved ones are doing well 🙂.

In Montreal we have to stay home too. I work from home and it's not easy with the kid to have some quiet time. That is why I'm less present on Steem.

Keep up and healthy

Thanks for sharing, mate. Stay safe too, and send my regards to the family!

Well its funny that when there was no virus and I could go out all day I preferred to stay cooped up in my room playing games and now that everyone is supposed to be lockdown all I want to do is go outside.

Yep, I feel you mate 😞. Definitely going outside more often after this. In the meantime though, what games are you playing?

Well I cant be too choosy on the games I pay. Got limited gaming options and the latest ones are too expensive to afford, Third world country problems :p
Gaming consoles are no less than a dream for me so right now I am occupied by older Pc games that have fallen in price. Just basic stuff like call of duty, counter strike and very hard earned RDR 2 for which I had to save off booze and snacks for a month.

Sweet stuff, mate. I have the same third-world problems as you 😑. My laptop is too potato to run anything without it shutting down because of overheating, and the iGPU is far too weak. But, I'm having fun exploring some old games, too!

Are you familiar with those old Reflexive Arcade games, those CDs that have like hundreds of small, sometimes crappy games? I've lost my old copy years ago, but there's a free online repository, since the devs have already shut down. There's some hidden gems in there.

I'm exploring loads of shitty games, though they're rather interesting. More so, is the fact that they still work well on Windows 10. Otherwise, I also have an old PSP-3000 that's still working well, and I'm putting in some new games 😁

  ·  5 years ago (edited)

I remember those CDs 😂😂 hundreds of games in a single cd and I would play all day without being bored. Those were the days and then gta was a dream come true. Now when I try those game they feel too old and outdated. Mario is still a legend 😂 but most of my childhood favs feel different now. I am thinking about starting wolverine again was a good play last time and Ive not tried far cry yet I think I must give it a try now that I have all the time in the world.

Do suggest some old games for me. I could use some nostalgia.

!giphy very eager

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!giphy thank you




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