Virus has been no child’s play
Seven youngsters get serious about what the coronavirus means to them and how they’ve been affected
FOR ADULTS, the Covid-19 crisis is difficult enough to deal with but for kids, it can be even more so. Here’s a snapshot of how some children view the virus and its effects on their everyday lives.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS?
“Wow, that’s a hard one,” quips Iris Russouw, 7.
“What I know is that it’s in the air. It’s a very bad virus and I know it’s not a computer virus. It doesn’t really affect children but old people can get it and they can die.
“What if it’s the roof right on top of our heads? What if it’s my beanie. What if sanitisers are the coronavirus and what if the coronavirus is the actual sanitiser? I mean, nobody understands life. I literally mean nobody on Earth. Maybe God or Jesus, but do you understand life?”
Sameeha Cassim, 6, is more certain about what it is.
“It’s a very bad germ that everyone can get sick with and some people get very sick. Most people in the whole entire world can get it, and now I think millions of people have it.”
Adam Hutchinson, 8, doesn’t hide his disdain for Covid-19.
“It’s a dangerous stupid virus that kills people. I think the virus came about because people kept on coughing on people and sneezing on people, and not washing their hands when going to the bathroom. Or someone could have just eaten a bat.”
Atlegang Thekiso, 7, knows the coronavirus is a germ “that spreads around everywhere and it doesn’t like hand sanitiser and soap”.
Tilanna David, 5, is spot on: “It’s a virus that attacks the respiratory system. It’s the whole part by your chest.”
Maphuti Serumula, 7, agrees: “Well, I know that it’s a virus that can spread from one person to another and another and another.”
Iris’ older brother, Leo, 11, describes Covid-19 as a “horrible virus”.
“It’s really bad and can infect people really horribly.”
IS IT HARD STAYING HOME?
“It’s quite hard to stay at home and I can’t go to all my favourite places,” says Sameeha. “Something I like about lockdown is that I get to spend time with my family, and we can stay indoors and be together and warm because it’s winter now.”
Adam says has got used to being stuck at home. When asked how many days South Africa has been in lockdown, he shrugs: “I don’t know, maybe 800? I go to school now. I hated it in the beginning. I had nothing to do. I couldn’t even ride my bike. I watched a lot of TV and Youtube videos.”
Iris says: “Well, yes, staying at home is very tough. It’s not only because of the coronavirus, but because we don’t usually go out. And when we were able to go out, it was much easier for myself and my brother to stay calm... My brother and I have been really bored and we are sick of playing TV games... It’s just so tough, so tough.”
For Maphuti, “it’s tough because you can’t do what you love like play at Papachinos or wherever you want to play. You can’t see your family or friends and that makes my heart sore”.
Leo detests home school most of all. “I really hate doing school work at home. I’m used to working at school, and being able to come home and watch TV. Now I wake up and have to do work at home. It also takes longer.
“At school, we have a specific limited time, which is nice. My sister and I have been fighting a lot more than before and that’s been hard too.”
Atlegang tells how the lockdown stopped the family’s holiday to Durban “and then this Covid-19 started and now we can’t go and that makes me really sad”.
WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT NORMAL LIFE?
“I miss going on holidays,” says Sameeha. “Like I wish I could go on a water slide. I miss my grandparents, my friends and all my family. It makes me very very sad to not see all these people.”
Adam misses going for lunch with his mom. “I miss the toy shop the most and play dates with my friends.”
Atlegang misses swimming lessons while Maphuti longs to play with her friends at school and going to Papachinos.
Tilanna “misses school so much” while Leo, too, misses his friends. “I miss going out. I miss going to restaurants. I know we are allowed to go to the restaurants now but it just seems like it’s going to be hard because the virus is everywhere. No one knows where it is,” he says.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO DO WHEN LOCKDOWN ENDS?
Sameeha is excited to go on holiday and to spend time at the beach.
“What I want to do most is see my best friend, Emma, and go to school and see my teachers, and do work with very mature adults,” says Iris. “I’m not being offensive am I?”
Tilanna, too, can’t wait to see her friends at school “like Lesedi, I miss her so much. She is my best ever friend, we are like sisters”.
Atlegang wants to go to all her cousins, to ijump and “go have fun on the bumper cars, and to go to Spur and Papachinos and have tons of fun. And to go on the slides and all the other fun places”.
Maphuti can’t wait to see her family. “Travelling will also be very nice,”
she says.
HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR PEOPLE TO STAY HOME?
“We have to,” insists Adam. “People better just do it. Those who don’t listen to the president, it’s all their fault. They can die. I hate this virus. I wish it would go away,”
“That’s a very hard question,” says Iris. “Kids and teenagers should stay at home because they could spread it to their parents.
“Adults should be staying at home too. It’s okay to go out for your groceries and the things you need, but that’s it. Old people are the ones who shouldn’t be leaving their homes. They should be staying at home now more than ever. Grandmas and grandpas cannot leave their houses. They are the things that I worry about.”
Leo says the elderly should stay at home most of all. “Everybody should stay at home because we are much safer. I know we all hate it, okay maybe some of us like it, but most people in the world hate it, so I think we should stay at home and stay safe.”
Tilanna agrees that it’s “so so important”.
“So many people have the coronavirus and they will all give it to more people. They must all wash their hands and wear a face mask.”
“It’s important for people to stay at home “because we don’t want people to spread around Covid-19 and to die,” says Atlegang.
“It’s very important because if you go out you can get the coronavirus and feel quite sick and maybe you can even go to hospital,” says Sameeha.
“It’s very important,” says Maphuti. “When you go to the shops right, you can bring the coronavirus back with you.
“Because at the shops people touch you, people spit on you and they sneeze on you. They also don’t stay far away from you and they cough on you. So everyone needs to just stay at home.”
Grandmas and grandpas
cannot leave their houses. They are the things I worry about
Iris Russouw, 7