The world is experiencing a rough patch (and that’s putting it lightly) with the COVID-19 crisis. The way things are looking, it may get worse before it gets better. There are over half a million confirmed cases in the world and over 1000 of them are in South Africa with the first 2 deaths reported on the morning of Day 1 of the national lock down. It is a scary time for us all. As a nation we can overcome this, if we comply with the rules that have been shared by the President and treat each other with some extra kindness.

As President Ramaphosa stated on Monday evening, South Africa has been put on lockdown as of Thursday midnight for 21 days until 16 April in an attempt to guard the health of all our citizens. This will be a tough time for many who cannot perform their working duties and those who can but have never worked from home.

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We can make the best of this by doing many things. For those working from home:

• As an individual who works from home as well, I’ve learned that it is best to stick to your daily routine. Wake up at your usual time, get dressed and have your breakfast as you normally would. This will keep your body and mind active and prepared to start the day. Do not try sleeping in as this will only distract you from your tasks for the day and interrupt your schedule – and possibly make you a bit lazy.
  

• Create a comfortable workspace for yourself if you do not usually work from home. Choose a space where it is quiet and where you will not be easily distracted or interrupted. This will put your mindset in work mode.

Not all of us have the luxury of working from home and so some of us are forced to only stay home without working. It is out of our control; it can be stressful but there are some ways to make the change bearable:

• Stock up on groceries and toiletries when you have the chance – but do not panic buy! Think with a clear and calm mind.
  

• Use this time to spend with your family. Play games, have movie nights, work on and grow an even stronger relationship.
  

• Pick up a hobby and focus on that - maybe you discover a new talent.
  

• Educate yourself, finish a book or write a book if you’re that determined.

What you can do in this 21-day period to keep yourself and your family occupied are endless. You just need to pick out what you like and go from there. 21 days is the perfect time to form a new healthy habit, like practicing meditation or learning origami.

While you are learning new skills and getting to know your family anew, keep washing your hands for 20 seconds multiple times a day, especially if you sneeze, cough or touch any surface. Even though it is almost impossible not to, do not touch your face. Wipe down all the frequent used surfaces in your home multiple times a day with an anti-bacterial cleaning product. Do not use hand sanitizer that contains alcohol when working in the kitchen as this is extremely dangerous and can easily be caught alight. (I bet you haven’t thought about that one yet...)

The LocumBase team is working from home during this time. We miss our face-to-face meetings in coffee shops, and this new way of working has increased the need for quality video conferencing. We are making use of Skype, Zoom and Hangouts to make sure we stay connected with each other as a team. Cabin fever is really a thing and doing daily morning and afternoon Skype calls keep one’s sanity going.

LocumBase.com will still be running during this uncertain time and our locums and practices are welcome to contact us at any time with any questions and requests.

Stay safe, stay sane, stay indoors and help flatten the curve!

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