For South African doctors like Cassey Dick, working on Africa’s frontline to fight the COVID-19 pandemic brings lots of stress.
Dr. Dick admits her apprehension and fear about what her work will be for that day. Here she has more to say.
“Each day when I leave for work, I leave feeling a bit apprehensive, little worried and terrified not knowing what the day will have to throw up (at) me," she told VOA. "And it has been a very emotional time, we had to make some very difficult decisions as doctors regarding our patients, especially because of our limited resources.”
As a keen runner, Dr. Dick’s normal coping tools were stopped with lockdown measures and Cape Town’s cancelation of the annual Two Oceans marathon.
So, the doctor decided to run her own marathon but, with a route not quite as scenic as coastal South Africa’s Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
“I decided to run Two Oceans in our parking lot. It was a little bit insane," she admits, "but I needed a distraction and second of all it was also something that when everything felt so out of control and unpredictable, I needed that something that I could achieve and that I could just sort my mind to.”
South Africa’s lockdown has been a tough challenge for outdoor buffs Dr. Dick and her partner, Sean Brookes.
“Most weekends, we’re always adventuring out, or going exploring or hiking or surfing, or running or something like that. And so, when lockdown came, we were inside, we all had all this free time, because our weekends from now we're forced to be inside," Brookes told VOA.
The couple couldn’t resist the call of spending some time camping in their newly bought camping tent, but lockdown, unfortunately, wouldn’t allow it. So, the couple decided to go camping in their own leaving area at home.
“Now, of course, we couldn’t go into the mountains, where we would rather be," Dr. Dick said. "But, instead, we decided to do it in our lounge. We set up a tent, we had a card game, and cooked our food on our little gas stove, and it was just magical. And in the morning, when the sun rose, we sat in our tent and watched the sunrise. And that was definitely something I will always remember from the lockdown.”
The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped this doctor’s resolve to stay healthy and enjoy life.
South Africa’s lifting a ban on alcohol sales last week has also helped lift their spirits.