From telling to urging to strongly warning, through the social media, megaphones and press conferences, and having shut down schools and partly closed government services as well as businesses, the government has been asking the public everyday for the past couple of weeks to stay at home, don’t go out, don’t gather, to fight COVID-19 together.
As can be seen on what people have been sharing on social media about their daily lives at home as they take heed of the government’s call, many of the posts show their homemade meals, their artistic side, and ways to keep their children entertained.
A mother of a six-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl, Grace Chong Lai Ian, has told The Macau Post Daily that this stay-at-home time has been “intimate” for the whole family.As she doesn’t need to go to work now, and she doesn’t need to work from home, Chong said she could spend time with her children for their home study.
“It is quite easy and doesn’t stress me out,” Chong said, pointing out that her children finish their assignments within half an hour.
Come play time, they take all their toys out and even create their own games, although they sometimes argue over little things.
“My kids are extremely happy to play at home […but] they miss their friends and teachers. The teachers are so nice that they have a chat with the kids through WeChat from time to time,” Chong said.
Chong also said that to keep her children busy, she teaches them something extra to learn, and do work-outs at home with YouTube videos, skipping ropes, watching films, reading, baking and helping prepare for their meals.
“I don’t mind having the kids stay at home during this period. I am more worried if they need to go back to school too soon,” Chong said, explaining that as she and her husband would need to go back to work before long, their domestic helper would then have to pick their children up from school and take the bus home, which was “worrying” especially when there are so many passengers, and if there are still new COVID-19 infections in Zhuhai or Hong Kong.
And as for her live-in domestic helper, Chong said that the helper told her she preferred to stay in, even though it was her day off on Sundays so she gave her overtime pay.
Chong said that this difficult period has been tiring, but she appreciates it as a special chance for the whole family to be together.
This undated photo provided by Grace Chong Lai Ian shows her children kneading dough as they learn baking while staying at home amid the COVID-19 threat.
