Lock Down (aka Circuit Breaker, Extended CB, lifting of Restrictions, and life in the time of Covid 19)

The illness that has become a pandemic affecting every country in the world began for us in January 2020, a couple of weeks after we arrived. At first, it was just a part of a conversations, like the one we had at our neighbors home when we were their guests at a Chinese New Year Luncheon. At that time, there were some cases that were in Singapore, but in very small numbers. Life as we knew it didn't change for many weeks, though the news began covering the story more closely and the daily count of cases in Singapore became something I was aware of and began to follow.

By February, the virus was spreading. There were discussions about what could happen if the numbers spiked, but Singapore seemed to really have everything in hand. We worried, but not too much. Gradually, some things in our daily routine began to change, like experiencing temperature screenings at at places like the Marina Bay Sands and Trent's office building. Soon I began having to fill out a temperature slip for both kids before sending them to school. Then, the kids came home from school--on a weekly basis it seemed--describing new changes at the school: limits to how many could sit at a lunch table, or changes in numbers at recess. 

Then, came March. Still the numbers in Singapore were low but the virus had spread to other countries. What seemed unthinkable in January was surreal but real life in March: The virus spread to the United States, and then, like wildfire everywhere. Everything from the NBA to going to work to school in the USA was shut down. And still, Singapore was largely unchanged. We felt fortunate to be in such a safe, well controlled environment.

But by late March, with the infection of COVID-19 spreading to other countries, and because Singapore didn't totally lock its borders, a new wave of infections came to Singapore; these so-called "imported cases" caused the daily numbers here to spike. The virus hit a vulnerable population in Singapore: the migrant workers. The daily tally of new infections--which I'd grown accustomed to viewing carefully-- had previously never been higher than a dozen then jumped into the seventies, hundreds, and then thousands of daily cases were reported. 

And that is when we went on lockdown.

At first, the lockdown was relatively easy. No dining out. No leaving the house except to exercise and for essentials. Schooling at home. With me being a teacher by profession, and having spent the last four years teaching online, we adapted fairly quickly and soon had a routine. Our kids liked it: there was a novelty factor, plus an extra hour of sleep in the morning, and it felt pretty fun. Additionally, Trent has travelled so much lately that we were all glad about the opportunity to have him home with us for an extended period. 

One of the things that really kept our spirits up was the ability we still had to exercise outside without masks together as a family. We had a great time one Saturday afternoon hiking up to the MacRitchie TreeTop Walk. Although we lost about half our body weight in sweat, and saw plenty of monkeys and monitor lizards and snakes and even a baby warthog.

We found ways to still try to experience Singapore, although now through a new lens. Food in Singapore is inexpensive and so plentiful, so we continued to try different kinds of food from all over the island, and because we have a car, we just drove to the restaurants and picked up take out. (You can see the bag of take out right behind Asher in Trent's right hand)

Waiting for our Carl's Jr burgers and fries at a restaurant near our house.

Then it was April. About three or four weeks into what Singapore called a "circuit breaker" period (likening the shutting down to the flipping of a circuit breaker switch to reboot us all), there were more restrictions. These, I confess, were harder for us. No exercising together and no leaving our neighborhood, even to exercise.

Fortunately, we had just ordered a weed whacker from the United States and it came just in time for Trent to "mow" the grass that was growing wild and thick in our yard.  This picture was from our first Saturday at home when we couldn't leave the neighborhood. We set up a volleyball net and between that and the soccer ball have been able to get the kids out enough for some needed activity and exercise.

Also--a huge blessing--this home where we are living has a yard and space for each of us to do our daily work. Trent works from an office we put together in the guest bedroom. Lillian and Asher have designated work spaces in our upstairs family room. I spend the days going back and forth between both kids helping them with their school work.

Not Trent's home office but a nice way to mix things up from time to time

These restrictions have created an opportunity for us to be creative and inventive. Trent discovered a bike stand next to our house with bikes we could rent for about 50 cents a ride. Even better, we just use an app on our phones to rent them. Having the rental bikes meant we could all go out on bike rides. We found an awesome bike/running trail near our house that we've really enjoyed. Even better, it connects to some fun shopping areas that have restaurants where we can buy takeout. This has made for a great Saturday activity and a little break in the monotony of daily living.

It's amazing how well, honestly, we've all adapted to this new normal. In fact, there's quite a bit about the quarantine life that I like. I love having everyone home and together. We've really enjoyed each other. Family dinner time has always been a highlight of our day, and that's been no different on lock down. We've laughed and shared stories, reminiscing about our favorite travels or holidays or memories from when the kids were babies. Church services have been canceled since mid-February, and while we've missed the fellowship of our local congregation, we've also really enjoyed worshipping from home.  

So much about this experience is wholly unprecedented. It's not how we thought we'd be spending our first months here in Singapore. Our plans for visiting the US in the summer and plans to see various countries we dreamed about visiting have all been shelved for now. Singapore has announced that the circuit breaker is lifting but the announcement details essentially mean nothing in our daily life will change much for at least the next five weeks.

Here we are and here we will stay. And it's ok.