Tuesday 21st April 2020.

On the 16th of April, I gave some idea of how the Covid-19 pandemic had affected the people and economy of SA.  Today I want to focus more on how crisis has affected me, my family and friends, in SA and abroad. But first the stats.
As at 20th April, SA had recorded  3465 confirmed cases and 58 deaths from Covid-19. So only a 1.67% death rate which is said to be good. 126937 tests have been conducted so far and the government hopes to ramp up this rate of testing considerably. We hear the defence force is being roped in to help in this regard. 76000 of them will reportedly be on standby to be employed in one way or the other.
Food supplies are still plentiful and the country appears to be calm and peaceful. This might not be so though. I have noticed that there is very little to no reporting on civil unrest in the country. We see on social media that shops are being looted for food, alcohol outlets are being targeted because of the ban on alcohol and cigarette sales. Over 400 schools have been vandalised and looted. We hear that the natives are getting restless, but there is absolutely no coverage of this by the formal press. It is not widely known yet, but we seem to have sunk into a total police state where we hear only the news that the government wants us to hear.
So that is the country at present.
How this whole Covid-19 thing has affected me personally is a totally different story.
Initially, it did not make much difference to my life. I, being a cripple, did not get out much at the best of times. My routine was to go to the mall roughly once a fortnight to do a bit of shopping and have a nice lunch at a restaurant with friends. Also once a fortnight, on Tuesdays, two of my friends and their wives would come around to my place for a nice braai or meal, some chat and maybe a game of cards or whatever. This meant that roughly once a week I would get to see my friends and interact with them. Others may well pop in from time to time, or we see them. I have now not been into town since the 27th of March. I can, of course, go outside and sit in the garden, I must keep my vitamin D levels up. But I miss the social interaction. Speaking on the phone is just not the same.
Audrey's grandchildren also used to come over quite frequently, for weekends and school holidays. No more. We did see three of them last week because their father could not take them shopping with him, so he left them here for the morning. That was a welcome relief, all be it a risky one.
Reading up on this virus I can only conclude that should I get it I will die for sure. I only have 40% lung capacity at present and the muscles that work my diaphragm and chest muscles are too weak to do the job effectively. My cough reflex is too weak to clear my lungs effectively so any build-up of mucus will quickly drown me. What this means is that I am effectively in lockdown until an effective vaccine is found and employed. That can be late next year. I'm not sure I want to stay locked up that long, but is my life worth a plate of fish and chips at John Dory's?  As cabin fever sets in I'm already getting the feeling that it may well be worth the risk. Don't be silly I tell myself, but I do so want to go out to meet my friends, do some shopping, even get my flu jab at Dischem, which can also save my life in its own way.
I'm not suffering from Cabin Fever yet, not according to the dictionary definition of the condition, but when my whisky runs out in a few days time, I may well start to show symptoms. My neighbour is buying brandy at R400 a bottle, I hear. I will not stoop to that level. The black market will always flourish in times of need. Prohibition never worked in the USA and it sure is not going to work here.
That's enough about me. I hope to write about my book next time.

THE CORONA VIRUS.
The state of events as at 16th April 2020, as I see it from my perch in Amanzimtoti, South Africa.
Covid-19 has struck the world and will, I feel, change life as we knew it, dramatically, and plenty of drama there will be too.
South Africa grabbed the nettle and shut the country down before most of us had even heard of this virus, never mind pandemic. The problem lay in Wuhan, China as far as we were concerned. We only had ten tourists that had returned from a holiday in Italy, and one of them felt mildly ill. How could that start a pandemic? Shortly after their return, on Friday, March 27th, SA went into lockdown. The promise was 21 days, until April 16th. That would be today. This date was then extended to April the 30th.
On Monday, 6th April SA had recorded roughly 1650 cases with 11 deaths. Today, 16th April we have 2506 with 48 deaths and only 903 recoveries. This looks like a major increase, almost 100 per day, but we are apparently doing better than expected. Those in the know say the lockdown is flattening the infection curve as we hoped it would. 95060 tests have been conducted, mostly in the high-density township areas where it is difficult for people to maintain social distancing, and testing continues. The government is petrified that if this virus spreads unchecked in a high-density population, the death toll will skyrocket out of control. They want to stop this at all costs, so the lockdown stays in force.
The lockdown entails the shutting of all schools and institutes of learning. All non-essential businesses are shut. This includes most clothing, household goods, furniture and electronic shops, hardware shops, pawnshops, motor garages, factories of all kinds, all restaurants and fast food outlets. Most municipal services, libraries, museums, fun parks etc are also closed. The sale of cigarettes and alcohol has been totally banned. All gatherings of more than 10 people have been totally banned. The only shops that are deemed essential are food supermarkets, doctors and filling stations it seems. Many factories that supply essential services, and municipal services, like taking the trash away are still operating.
But what are the consequences of the lockdown. SA, before the virus struck had an unemployment rate of almost 30%. Much higher amongst the 18 to 35 year age group. Most of these people and beggars on the streets earned a living amongst themselves or in the informal sector, scavenging food, selling scrap metal, especially stolen copper cables, selling fruit and veg on the streets. No one knew how, but they all survived and did not starve. Now with lockdown, their informal sources of income have dried up. The tramps have been taken off the streets, put into nice living quarters, but their sources of income have dried up. They can eat the food that they are given, but there is no money for anything else. Drugs, drink, cigarettes etc. They are not happy!
The happy consequence of the lockdown is that gang violence on the Cape Flats has virtually come to a dead stop. The road death toll over the Easter weekend, 28 as opposed to over 160 last year, was at historic lows. Murder and robbery numbers are also at historic lows. Some say this is thanks to the total ban on alcohol and cigarette sales. But domestic violence and abuse are said to be higher than average. So yes, a lot of good seems to be flowing from the lockdown, although starvation is also staring a lot of people in the face.
The government will be forced to lift restrictions soon or the economy will collapse completely. Students must return to learning, people must be allowed to earn their keep. The government cannot provide for the needs of everyone. This more so for the SA government that was virtually bankrupt before the virus struck.
What the future holds once the lockdown is lifted we do not know. Some speculate that infections will again increase exponentially. Some hope infections will remain under control. One way or the other we will all have to keep ourselves safe until a vaccine is found and administered, or until summer at least. Until then we will need to wear masks, gloves and wash our hands frequently.
There is of course still a lot more to say on this topic, but I will sign off now. The picture will become clearer as the situation unfolds.

Hello all,

This is my new blogspot.
I have been told that if you want to be considered an author, then you must have a blog. Okay, so here goes.

13th April 2020.
First, a bit about me.
I have written two books now. The first is a light-hearted novel about life in South Africa now that the shackles of Apartheid have been undone. The Promised Bridge, deals with everyday life in SA, corruption, murder, robbery, poverty etc. but everyone eventually gets to live in peace and relative prosperity. The book is available for purchase from Amazon.com

My second book, which will be published in a week or two is titled, Living with CNM (Centronuclear Myopathy)
In it I try to share, not only my personal feelings but also the difficulties, anguish and hardship that those around me feel whilst trying their best to assist me and make my life easier.
Living with CNM is a lifelong journey for me, but a cure is now in sight. Trials, which will prove whether a new treatment is successful, are currently underway.
And so I now have two reasons for writing this blog. The first is that I am continuing to get weaker, and new challenges present themselves all the time. I have  finished writing the book, but the journey is far from over. I can use this blog to discuss my ongoing experiences with fellow sufferers or interested parties.
Other sufferers and even their caregivers can comment on my book as well as share their experience with all of us.
The second reason is that if a cure is offered, I can share my personal experience with everyone and they can share their experience with me and other readers.
Living with CNM will soon be available for purchase from Amazon.com.

I look forward to reading your comments.