Life in the times of Corona Pandemic - Self Quarantine - Day 1

Some context before I dive into my Day 1 experience. I live in Mumbai, India. The first I heard of the Corona virus was in the news - of something that has affected China; was in early Jan. At that time I was planning a trip to Singapore in March. By early Feb, there was chatter around the virus being found in Singapore. I still thought of it to be a few isolated cases. However, by Feb end, it seemed that things were serious in Singapore and visiting the place at this point in time may not be the best idea. So I cancelled my bookings, and decided to head to Varkala instead. Did not anticipate the virus spreading beyond Singapore, with a few cases here and there. In March, there were cases detected in India and we were urged to cancel all non-essential travel. I am not very risk averse and hence decided to wait and watch. Last week, when things literally started shutting down with private companies asked to have at least 50% of the workforce operating out of their homes was when I decided that staying put is a smart move.

Today I took the day off work and decided to experience self-quarantine. Woke up an hour later than usual, followed by morning ablutions. Have made a conscious decision to not touch newspapers - mainly because it could be carrying the virus. At the breakfast table, I whipped out my phone to catch up with what's going on in the world on Twitter; read a few articles - conspiracy theories, trends in stock market, situation in Itay, Iran and India. Just the night prior, our PM Modi had announced a curfew on Sunday - so a lot of folks had tweeted their views on the same. Glanced through those and decided to take a break from Corona. Of course I Netflixed! Taj Mahal 1989 seemed like a good choice - nostalgia mixed with compelling storytelling took me away from current worries. Had a leisurely tea mid-noon. Resumed Netflix. Had a late lunch watching the address of our CM Uddhav Thackeray - who announced complete shutdown till 31st March. This quarantine will have to go on for longer. At this point, my day did not seem too bad plus I thought this will provide a necessary breather from the struggles of daily life. Watched a few episodes of The Office on Amazon Prime post lunch.

Since did not want to step out, did a quick kickboxing workout mid-evening followed by a nice, warm shower. Indulged in some self-care; by preparing and applying a face-pack of gram flour, turmeric, honey and milk. Had an early dinner. Made a decision to log my experience of self-quarantine. The first had has been typical- I am intrigued to see how things pan out once I have to start working plus stay indoors for a prolonged period.