Since the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries all around the world have gone through lockdowns maybe once or twice or even more…
Over here in Mauritius, although we’re only a tiny dot in the Indian Ocean, we have not been spared… Anyway, this post is not about the pandemic or the disease but mostly to share with everyone the local ‘culture’ during the lockdown.
We are currently at our second national lockdown and this time I can assure you that Mauritians are all like “deja vue, baby!”.
So what’s the Mauritian daily activity in lockdown? Those who are working from home are either super happy or totally going berserk. Some are loving it not to have to go through huge traffic everyday, to and from work, while others are feeling stifled at home. Well, some are made to work within an office while others can adapt anywhere – so it seems. Therefore, there are those who, since day one, have applied for their WAP (Work Access Permit) and this time, some have been ‘creative’ enough to make fake WAPs to be able to leave home…
What about those who have some extra time? Mauritians are very fond of … eating! Hence, since the lockdown, there are those who are at bread making again (a remake of the first lockdown) to improve their 2020 versions (hehe!). Others are baking/cooking for the ever hungry kids who are at home.
As for shopping, during the first lockdown, Mauritians discovered – to my great satisfaction – online shopping! I was however quickly disillusioned as the prices online were ridiculously too high… Luckily, the government then came up with the alphabetical order scheme – we all get two days per week to buy our stuff according to the alphabetical order of our surnames.
Apart from those who are obediently staying at home to avoid the spread of the disease, there are of course those exceptional beings who wander around for very ‘exotic’ reasons such as the urgent need to seek revenge following a quarrel…
However, the best part of it is that Mauritians are very good at making fun of local events like the recent speech of the Prime Minister, last week, which was long awaited to know if the lockdown would be lifted or not. The social media thrived with memes on that day since most of the population got confused by the message (thanks to its clarity…). The Mauritian humour is definitely one of a kind – it’s like the natural way for us to divert the mind from the serious matters.
Hence that’s how the days go on during lockdown, with messages sent the whole day on WhatsApp, news being shared and cross-checked for authenticity, vaccination being debated as well as carried out, memes and local jokes being shared on social media, new recipes under trial in kitchens but also (sadly) families struggling to survive and of course the anxiety and confusion as the authorities keep trying to contain the disease and its impacts on the country…
