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Tafadzwa Zimoyo Senior Lifestyle Writer
Strange isn’t it?

Clubbing, eating out and selling of alcohol has been banned, much to the chagrin of socialites and imbibers.

And, you know imbibing has been the mainstay of many gigs, if not all. Are you chugging a coke or some other soft drink?

Churching too, has been banned and so is all congregating. Home is now the place and home is sometimes boring.

I see my brothers playing games with children indoors. Rare. The wives must be the happiest spending time with their men but so do the screams, yelling and quarrels increase. The coronavirus has indeed changed our lifestyles.

The country joined the rest of the world earlier this week after the Government declared a precautionary 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of the pandemic.

Only critical staff are allowed to go to work, the rest must stay home.

“Stay at home” as the slogan states has even gone viral worldwide with celebrities, socialites, musicians, doctors and even diplomats calling for everyone to be at their homes.

Adjusting the new order of things for the next few weeks weighs down on many.

It has been a tough week but as the old adage says “when life gives you lemons, turn them into lemonade”.

Many people are used to hanging out at bars and night spots to pass time; but since those have been closed, social media seems to be the new entertainment hub.

So 21 days with your family at home is what some have described as a war zone, while others have welcomed the initiative with open arms.

But this lockdown has brought some interesting stories including the levels of paranoia in some people.

It is true that with the outbreak worldwide, the prospect of total quarantine looms.

The lockdown has already been difficult to millions of people in Zimbabwe.

For many, the only entertainment is television and social media.

Saturday Herald Lifestyle conducted a survey on social media for what has been going on the past five days.

Good thing, no crime has been reported yet apart from husband and wife, cat and mouse affairs.

Next week it will be the Easter holidays and hopefully churches have prepared and planned for their online services as they had promised.

Alas, one still remembers that time changes, and gone are the days pastors and prophets used to say stay away from social media. Now they are urging everyone to stay online as their messages will be delivered.

Surprisingly some pastors have even emphasised that the church is closed but not their finance offices.

People are whiling up time with jokes on social media.

Some psychologist and counsellors said there are ways to prepare for weeks of being cut off from the world.

“Psychologically surviving the quarantine — do take note that it is not preparation for apocalypse — is readying yourself for a stressful and highly inconvenient but temporary experience, concentrating on the psychological experience more than the health side,” said renowned psychologist Laurie Garrett.

“Some people have resorted to indoor games to arrest boredom. Games like checkers and chess are keeping people sane as effects of cabin fever start kicking in,” said Terrence Mujuru of Warren Park.

Mujuru who recently got married said he is happy with the 21 days because he gets a chance to spend quality time with his wife.

Others even said people like Mujuru need to be warned because there is more than what meets the eye in marriage.

Should Mujuru be scared?

Some have taken the 21-day lockdown as an opportunity to spend time with family.

Since one has no option but to stay indoors, they cannot avoid being around their close family members.

“I wish this pandemic is over, we are being controlled by these kids. We are forced to watch cartoons. However, I am also taking this opportunity to educate them about life and social issues, this is the right time. Tatova anatete zvese nasekuru mudzimba umu,” said Belinda Rupapa.

Portia Mano of Haig Park, Harare said that she will spend the lockdown doing home-workouts.

“Home-workouts have also come to the rescue for fitness enthusiasts. A number of fitness trainers are sharing routines online for people to follow,” she said.

However, the case is different for most men as they are complaining that it is tough to be at home all day.

Wilfred (not his real name), a stock broker, who resides in Borrowdale with his family said the lockdown means all system locked down.

“First we are answering our mobile phones on low voice in the bathroom. I am not shy to say that I have a small house and it is difficult for me now to see her. My wife is very happy with me around but I am not. Imagine all day listening to Nickelodeon channel playing. I now know all the games played by children and it is only day six,” he said.

Wilfred responded to this reporter on social media after a survey was carried out to find out how people are coping with life during the quarantine times.

“In fact days are long. It is getting crazier in our house by day,” he said.

There are many hindrances for the parents trying to work from home. Their ability to do so will rely on various factors which include the age of their children and the size of their homes and the nature of their work.

Others said that it was hard to bath when you know you have nowhere to go.

“Your only journey will be from bedroom to toilet then to lounge room, kitchen and the day is over.

“If you stay in a single room tough luck” is one of the many jokes that have been coined in the wake of the national lockdown.

This is not the only hardship workers are faced with as they have been used to spending the day away from home.

Some have even opted to visit their rural homes where there is always work to be done and less human congestion.

From virtual parties to general chatting on different platforms, social media provides the much needed relief.

Even popular musician Jah Prayzah has opted to launch his album, online while different events have adapted to the virtual world.

“It’s tough to cope with staying at home but whenever I miss the people I hang out with or our normal hangout conversations I go on line. It is different but we have little choice. Expensive data connection has however remained prohibitive to many.

“Money is hard to come by these days since I’m not being productive to earn me enough to spare on leisure activities.”

Jokes have been thrown around on social media over how most men have learnt many new things about keeping a home.

It maybe a joke to many, but it remains true.

“I don’t usually do house chores since we have a maid and my wife is a housewife,” said Tawanda Muronda.

“Our maid has since gone to visit her family for the duration of the lockdown so I have been learning to do different chores including changing diapers, cooking and cleaning just to learn new things and help out my wife.”

Book worms are also using this opportunity to better themselves through online courses, while some are busy applying for different scholarships.

“We hope we are not going to have Covid-19, Coronavirus, Sanitisers and Social-distance as baby names in the coming 10 months.”