My hands are so dry. My already brittle nails are more brittle and splitting now. I wash my hands so many times in a day. I have lost count. I have always washed my hands, particularly before eating and/or doing stuff food related. But never these many times.

I wash my hands the minute I walk into my condo unit. I wash down all the locks on my door with Dettol. In the lift, I use my knuckle to press for the floors I want. Sometimes I forget, which knuckle I have used. My instinct is still to use the pads of my fingers. I was told to use the elbow. I did try it but found it cumbersome. My elbow then comes in contact with the back of my chair and wherever else I am sitting or leaning against. Also, it’s hard to get my elbow in the sink for a wash.

And, that’s only the half of it. There are two sets of lifts in my condo building. One from the lobby to the seventh floor; for security reasons. Another from the seventh to the penthouse; accessible only to residents and verified visitors.  Once outside the lifts, I have to open heavy glass doors. One on floor 7 and the other in the lobby. One door requires me to push and the other to pull. My knuckle and elbow aren’t built for the tasks. It’s a hand job. Hence, there’s contact. A chance of contamination.

Living in a condo means sharing amenities. There is a lot of vertical travelling and button pressing going on each day. And, being with people at close quarters. At less than the recommended one metre or over three feet. What used to be quite normal fingerprints, marks and smudges on the floor button panels of the lifts are no more. Caution or fear of Covid-19 has heightened awareness and made me view these as possible health threats.

Once out of the condo building, I don’t touch the arms of elevators and surfaces, and try to navigate or rather avoid people on the streets and in shopping centres. Honestly, I don’t know for sure what is a safe and balanced approach to address this virulent virus. These past weeks, I have been to shopping malls to eat, buy food, shop and walk around. Then my paranoia button went off when I had my hair cut and greys camouflaged. I felt uncomfortable about sharing implements, hair wash basins and seats with other customers. Once home, I showered and washed my hair for the fourth time that day. Thrice at the salon. It was sort of a turning point. My husband and I upped our precautionary measures. On Saturday, March 14, we bought can and dry foods to supplement our eat-in evenings. No visits to doctors, dentists or opticians unless urgent. No holidays that involved flying. We hoped these would reduce our exposure to people and them to us. And, carried on with our fastidious 20-second hand washing.

On Tuesday, March 17, the government announced a Movement Control Order. The order comprised a complete ban on mass gatherings of any kind and a total prohibition of overseas travel for Malaysians while returning citizens had to undergo health screening and self-isolation for 14 days. Restricted movement of people (we are still allowed to go out to buy groceries, medicines and takeaway food). Closures of non-essential government, and private entities as well as all institutions of learning from kindergartens to universities. And, a ban on tourists and foreigners entering Malaysia.

Covid-19 is a terrifying pandemic that is impacting us all. I never envisioned a situation quite like this. To me, it is reminiscent of movies like ‘Contagion’ and ‘Outbreak’ where fiction is now reflecting reality. I hope people will help and work together to face this adversity. I hope countries will concertedly ban and impose stiff fines as well as prison sentences on people and companies that traffic, trade, keep as pets and eat wildlife. Wildlife should be in the wild. I hope we will not forget the thousands of deaths, loss of loved ones, sickness and sufferings. Disruptions, loss of work and earnings, and decline to the global economy. Covid-19 in 2020. I hope and pray that this too will pass, and quickly.