The #covid19 suspects everywhere!
It is not easy to stop a habit.
Since 2011, I do road runs at least three times a week. It is now my habit. They say it takes 21 days of doing something repeatedly to form a habit, mine has been done for more than nine years now!
When I don’t run, I feel general body weakness. That is the flipside of habits. When you stop, you feel it hard. You must find a compensating habit to overcome another habit.
To cover up on the four days, I discovered on the Internet an app called 7 minutes by the Perigee 7 Club, an application that I installed on my iPhone that has all the cardio and stretching exercises anyone would dream of. This app renders any Gym useless for I used to frequent the gym as well until I realized it takes a lot of my time to and fro to the shared subscription gym and sometimes you find the machines are all in use and spend time doing pushups which one could have done at home as well!
Today, I decided to hit the road. Bad decision.
So many people on the road. First, I met a family of six people running together oblivious to the social distance. Then cyclists passed by me. I decided to run in the middle of the road since (in my mind) most of the cars have been put off the streets.
Big mistakes.
Before I could complete 100 meters, cars started whizzing by. The time check is 7:30 am. So many private cars on the road! Have all these people surely got the RDC’s clearance, I wonder. I decide to take a photo. However, I am not in a position to publish it here to protect the identity of the suspects.
I decide to use a shortcut back to home to avoid so many coronavirus suspects lurking on the main road. Another bad decision.
On the small road, I find so many people walking oblivious again of the social distance. These people are moving too close to one another. Someone comes trying to overtake me, I decide to run faster so that they don’t breathe into me.
You know this coronavirus disease is not yet clear to us. They say it is not airborne. But they add that if you stand next to someone who has it the small particles from their fluids (saliva or cough) could get to you. I don’t know why that is not airborne! Since I am not a medical doctor, I will just follow the instructions.
When you are several people at home, just seated, you tend to have an appetite. Thank God, we all still have an appetite – something that gives us hope that coronavirus is still far away. So, our food stocks are finished and today I was to go and replenish. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough cash on me. I must first visit the mobile money agent. But none insight is open.
I branch to the supermarket.
By 8:10 am, I find the supermarket has just opened and the Tellers are free. I give one of the ladies my list to pick for me from the shelves. She does.
I check out and start going back home. As I enter the main road, I see so many people walking towards me. I decide to return to the supermarket parking briefly, to let them go by. Then as I move, I realize the wind is moving towards my direction from theirs. I resign to my fate and decide to move anyway.
The mixed communication over covid19 safety is deafening. Others say masks are not good (for none-health workers), while others say, they are. On 17th March 2020, I tried wearing the mask, it was uncomfortable and not good for me especially with glasses. I think I had bought the wrong type.
I branch to the food market to buy some greens. I hear #covid19 fears greens, fresh foods, and fruits. Let me buy these and chase it away.
The ladies in the market have no idea about social distancing. You want to keep a distance, but she wants to come close. I tell her, that your job makes you exposed, you must keep a distance. She does not care. She is more excited about the increased business during these times of the lockdown than her health.
I pay for her and move a distance. I give her my list to pick for me. She does and off I go.
Without a car, my hands are already full.
I start walking home as I ponder when will all this end.
On the streets, everyone is a covid19 case suspect. Some people when they see you approaching, change lanes and move further away. These are people who know the problem and the directives.
Others just come and bump into you. It is so annoying.
To stay safe, you must keep alert of your environment.
Lessons:
My conclusion is that walking or running on the streets seems more deadly than driving in one’s private car. This directive needs review. The roadblocks should control the people in the private car. Maximum one person – the driver only.
The RDC’s have been given too much power. Today, I saw a long line of people seeking for the RDC’s approval to drive. I am afraid, this process might be abused. I doubt that the so many private cars SUVs I saw on the streets have genuine emergence cases. The bad thing is the RDC’s office is becoming the meeting point. And this is not good!
The President should revise this directive and give powers to the local council one Chairmen. People should seek approval from LC1, not RDCs! These live in the communities. They know most families and must be empowered to provide support during these tough times.
#covid19 is not easy. More sensitization is needed.
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved.
