The Quarantine Diaries #43: Third time’s the charm

April, and the good people of Slovenia are placed in lockdown for the third time since the pandemic started. It is also the third lockdown for us as a family, though the first one we experienced was in Spain.

Feeling the strain

This is supposed to be an eleven day ‘short, sharp shock’ lockdown to bring the spread of the virus under control, as for whatever reason, the vaccine programme seems to be rolling out very slowly here. Some people have just plain had enough, for example the now-famous ‘chainsaw man’ who approached the Slovenian parliament building in Ljubljana wielding a chainsaw and screaming that he’d ‘had enough’ of the containment measures:

While I certainly don’t condone this kind of behaviour, I think that anyone can feel the impact on their mental health of repeated lockdowns, particularly those who live in inner-city areas and are perhaps isolated, or in a difficult domestic situation. It also angers me to hear that it is possible to cross the border into Croatia, so long as you’re prepared to pay a €400 ‘fine.’ I am not sure whether this is true, but it would not surprise me too much if it were. It seems to be a different set of rules for the wealthy, as always. But let us not forget that we are still trying to bring the virus under control, a fact of which I was given a stark reminder only last week.

Corona scare

Only the day after the schools broke up for Easter, my eldest son took ill with a fever and cough. Of course I feared it was a covid infection, and we arranged for him to have a test. As I waited for the results, and for the fever to break, I wondered if I had been right to send him back to school in the first place. Luckily, he was better after only two days, and it turned out to be a more run-of-the-mill virus. Of course it’s perfectly natural for parents to worry about covid, and forget that all of the usual infections are doing the rounds at the same time.

I took this as a lesson in gratitude: how important it is to be grateful for all that I have, not least my family’s health, and my own.

What this lockdown means for me

This lockdown feels like the least oppressive so far. We’re allowed out for exercise, and indeed took advantage of the beautiful spring weather to climb a mountain at the weekend (see Featured Image). I haven’t yet felt the impact on my work of having the kids home, as during this holiday weekend we’ve been going out and about as a family.

I suspect for as long as the lockdown lasts it will be something of a juggling act to keep on top of schoolwork and ahead of schedule with my writing. Please be patient if you’ve submitted work to The Anthropocene Hymnal, I am reviewing all submissions but have a limited time window each day in which to do this at present.

Whatever the covid situation where you are, please do take care of yourself and your mental health. Eventually this will be over and we can all get back to some kind of ‘normal,’ whatever that may look like in the post-pandemic world…

Wishing you well,
Ingrid

26 thoughts on “The Quarantine Diaries #43: Third time’s the charm

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  1. I’m sorry you’re in another lockdown, though I understand the reasons. I hope all goes smoothly, and I’m glad your son is OK. We had many restrictions last year at this time, but everything here is done on a state by state basis, so it’s ridiculous. Now here in New Jersey, things are opening up, probably much more than they should be, though many more people are getting vaccinated. I’m glad I haven’t had to worry about young children at home. My younger daughter finally went back to in-school teaching, but fortunately she’s been vaccinated. . .Good luck!

  2. A great relief your son is ok… and we cannot help but worry … my dear Kerri (Bensalem) has basically been in lockdown for over 12 months .. because of her vulnerable condition, she has wisely refrained from venturing beyond her front door …. I know she is a resilient character … but as you say… when will enough be too much… she’s just had her 2nd vaccination… but thy are very wary of the outside American situation… people still behaving irresponsibly … I continue to chat with her every day, to give her that outside contact with the world…. yes I’m a worrier.. 🧡🌏
    https://youtu.be/Iww-l4UtygE

    1. Oh how awful for her. We must protect the vulnerable. Great news that she has been vaccinated and I hope she gets to go out soon!

  3. I spend a lot of time on my own these days but fortunately I am fairly happy in my own company and have plenty of interests and diversions to keep me occupied. What I do miss is time spent with valued friends and family as well as the opportunity to travel I am so glad the lad is okay and thanks for supporting all of us in this strange time with your words and wisdom !

  4. This year and a bit mark a grindstone in life – a wearing thin. I can’t complain about COVID. I know we are very lucky in that regard but with the fires in Australia, followed by COVID, and recently a series of more personal negatives happening, I understand the sense of unrelenting bad news. I hope you can stay safe, well and sane.

  5. feeling your frustration and such relief your son just had a flu of such Ingrid. Good you can get out in the air. Hang in there.. crazy times for sure. Take good care of you!💖

  6. It’s strange here now things are starting to open up. It doesn’t feel right though. Think it’s going to be up and down for all of us for a long time. Glad your boy is ok and also spring is here to try and enjoy.

  7. We are all tired of it. Like Merril, I feel they are opening things too quickly here, and the rising infection rates show it. Only 30% of the population has gotten at least one shot–that’s a lot of people, especially children, who are vulnerable. How does it end? When will it end? We just manage day to day I guess…(K)

  8. Ingrid, thank goodness your son is well and that you can still enjoy time outside as a family. Best wishes to you and your family as you deal with another lockdown.

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