April 5. Today’s Day 22 of the community quarantine, the start of the 4th week, and Day 9 since I ventured outside to buy groceries. Originally, the quarantine is supposed to be until Apr 14, but I expect it will extend beyond that.
My routines have totally changed. I used to buy coffee from Starbucks or McDonald’s then head out to work or back home on my WFH days, and then have another cup of coffee in the afternoon. Now I just have a daily 3-in-1 instant coffee (103 calories / serving). For my weekday lunch, I’d usually buy from Dell’s Food Hall — one meat viand, one vegetable dish, and half-serving of rice, then I’d contemplate about having some Coke Zero. Now, I haven’t had soft drinks, and my 1200-calorie meals get delivered the night before, and I eat only that. I also haven’t had chips or even popcorn. I miss cheese-flavored popcorn. And sushi, among many, many others.
I went to the gym regularly — at least on Mondays and Wednesdays, and sometimes on Saturdays. Now, I just do 30-minute workouts from an app. On weekends, it’s usually the time to feast and eat out in some restaurants or try out some dessert. I’m usually at my heaviest whenever I weigh myself on Mondays right after the weekend. Now, weekends are just like the weekdays — I’m just at home, on the laptop. Before, part of my routine when starting the day included checking my weight, now I also check my temperature.
Before leaving the house, I usually do a quick check: Wallet, Phone, Keys. Then a little before quarantine began and until now, it’s: Wallet, Phone, Keys, Alcohol.
Going out has become a chore. In that one time I went out for groceries, I had to prep so that when I get back home I can immediately change out of the outside clothes and wash myself up. While doing the groceries, I had to be so mindful of not touching my face or anything else. Even when I felt beads of sweat on my forehead since it was hot and my basket was heavy, I would not touch my face. The whole grocery trip took about an hour which was relatively short since I’ve heard of folks spending 3 hours on that errand. It was another chore altogether to unpack the groceries and sort them.
When they lift the quarantine, I don’t think it’s going to be as easy as flipping a switch and everything’s back to normal.
I feel like I’d still have reservations about going out. I’d still want to be adamant about social distancing. Maybe I’ll still wear a face mask when outside esp if I’ll go somewhere that tends to be crowded like the grocery or in fast food restaurants.
By then, I think I’ll need a haircut, but maybe only when I see them guarantee that they’ve sterilized or disinfected more thoroughly. But how close the person cutting my hair to me (definitely less than 1 meter) might make me uncomfortable.
Whenever we enter a building or a mall, even though there’s a metal detector, the security guards would inspect our bags — usually using a stick to prod it open or prod whatever inside. I hope they won’t do that anymore. I don’t know what that stick has touched or how clean it is.
Will it be safe to go back to the gym? Or to eat out at restaurants? Or have coffee with friends? Or watch a movie, or a play? Will it be safe to commute even? I usually just go by Grab whenever I go out. How will I go out to other areas then? Will shops remain to have shorter hours? Some malls here used to be open from 10AM to midnight. But with people not wanting to go out anymore, those hours are going to be expensive.
How else will other mundane stuff change? Going to the bank, paying some bills, visiting my parents and my sister’s family, seeing my dog…
