Credits to: DerangedVisions

It's certainly nice to see HIVE getting a great start in its new life, and better yet, we're seeing plenty of initiatives to get more people posting, and to hopefully attract new users in. It seems to be working, as scrolling through my Twitter feed shows that we've been getting a lot of attention, and it also shines some light on Steemit, coincidentally.

The most recent initiative undertaken by the HIVE community, is a great opportunity for people to share more about their lives under lockdown by Coronavirus (Covid-19 ). In itself, locking down large tracks of society is unprecedented in recent times, at least in such a large, global scale. I hadn't planned on writing another lockdown update so soon, though I have some things to get off my chest.

Credits to: GIPHY

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Life In Lockdown.

For starters, it seemed that restrictions are ramping up, given how the outbreak here in Malaysia have escalated quickly. Just some hours ago, I went to stock up with groceries at the nearby mini-mart. Ordinarily, we don't go grocery shopping this often, but I suppose when you're stuck at home all day, your supplies tend to burn out much faster. Not wanting to carry all that on my back up a steep hill, I drove down instead. Maybe next time, I'll consider getting a wheelbarrow.

Upon reaching the store, I had to wait outside, as a shopkeeper held a metal bar along the entrance. There was a note, stating that given the new movement control measures, only limited numbers of people were allowed in at once, which is something that I hadn't seen until now. I waited for a couple of minutes, until a gentleman had left, allowing me to enter and get what I needed. As you can imagine, it's not easy to practice social distancing in a small store packed with people, and around the obstacle course of boxes stacked to the ceiling.

Credits to: MalayMail (Prime Minister of Malaysia, out for groceries.)

As there were people waiting outside, I didn't want to keep them waiting, so I had no chance to take pictures. I grabbed everything on my little shopping list, and dumped them into the trolley. I can see shopkeepers hard at work stocking the shelves, though people were grabbing stuff off them at a faster pace. Certain goods were pretty hard to get, like bread, and also face masks. We're running low here at home, and we're thinking of getting them online.

The management of my apartment complex is also making sure unwanted bacteria is kept away, and ensuring the residents' hygiene are in tip top shape. I wasn't in a hurry, so I managed to snap some pictures, though not the best of quality, and I wanted to get your thoughts on it. Starting first with the elevator, management stuck these tissue packets on the railing, and we're supposed to use it to press the elevator buttons.

I guess the theory here, is that you don't have to make physical contact with your skin, and it should be protected by a slim ply of tissue in between. But I'd like to know more about the science on this; does using a piece of tissue paper to make contact with commonly touched surfaces really deter bacteria and viruses from your body? It does work with gloves and so on, but how about a standard household tissue?

Though there is one other thing that should actually work at killing bacteria, and that's hand sanitiser. Now, they've mounted some hand sanitising stations by the doors, of which there are plenty of them here. While not as good as washing your hands with soap and water, this will do well enough. Now, every time I open or close the door, I make sure to have a quick squirt of hand sanitiser.

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Very Bad, No Good People.

Outside of my apartment complex, there's certainly a lot going on, and from what I've read so far, it's clear that having a viral outbreak like this can bring out the worst in people. Yes, we've all read stories on hoarding, price gouging, or panic buying before, but some things are just worse. Reportedly, there are people insulting police officers who have been enforcing the partial-lockdown, or movement control order, as they call it.

Understandably, being obliged to stay at home all day isn't the most pleasant of things, but it's something that we need to do, just to make sure that Covid-19 doesn't spread any further. There's been people flouting police and army checkpoints around the country, but I've yet to hear news on people verbally abusing cops doing their job, and a rather dangerous one at that. It's pretty despicable to think of it, but it gets even nastier.

Credits to: MalayMail

Today, our very own Women, Family and Community Development Ministry put out a PSA on social media for spouses when they're being locked down at home. Rather than trying to solve issues concerning domestic violence, sexual abuse, or predatory behaviour against women, they decided to post a rather mysogynistic advice on how women should behave at home.

Just as a warning, this next paragraph or two should be offensive to most sensible people. Among the stuff that's been shared, they include a guide on why women should dress nicely and wear make-up when they're at home, how to appease their husbands, and why they shouldn't nag on them. Here's the gist of it.

Credits to: The Star

In a subsequent poster on ways to educate one’s spouse on doing household chores, to presumably avoid quarrelling, wives are advised to adopt a “Doraemon-like” tone and giggle coyly as opposed to “nagging”.

The ministry also advised women to not be sarcastic towards their spouses who do not help with housework, saying that they sometimes need to be “informed” about such duties, and asked women to do so when they need a hand.

Credits to: MalayMail (Some sexist PSA.)

I understand that some stereotyping still exists, despite attempts to change. But while it's one thing to keep those thoughts to yourself, it's quite another to share them publicly, especially if you're the government. I have no idea why someone thought that this would be a good idea. According to Reuters, "Malaysia is ranked 104 out of 153 countries in the latest World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap index, after scoring poorly on political empowerment and economic participation.", and I can now see clearly as to why that's the case. Shame!

Though despite all the bad news, some good things have happened, and it gives a sprinkling of hope for the future. Due to the logistical issues of transporting goods, food suppliers have had to throw away bad, rotten produce. Now, I read that Lazada, a popular local e-commerce site, has been helping sell these produce online, and some are even giving away fruits, vegetables, or meats to charity.

Credits to: MalayMail (Veggies forced to be discarded.)

This recent news story comes from Cameron Highlands, which is a hilly region with small, twisty roads. Speaking of food, I'm still waiting anxiously for the status on openings of Ramadan bazaars. The fasting month of Ramadan is coming up, and this means no food or drink from dawn to dusk. It also means that bazaars are open, with dozens of food stalls as far as the eye can see. With a pandemic spreading through, this could make it difficult, as having a lot of people in a confined space is contrary to what we should be doing.

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The Days Ahead.

There's still some hope that this long tradition will continue, albeit with some restrictions on distancing and movement. Talking a bit more on behaviour, tomorrow will be April Fool's day, and I think it's worth taking some time to remind people not to be a Covidiot. I get that we want to bring smiles and laughter, especially at this time of grief. However, there's too much grief, and there's still suffering even as we celebrate. So, let's not be insensitive about this, and don't play any tasteless, dangerous, or silly pranks.

Credits to: GIPHY

That's all that I have to write about, and now my chest is devoid of excess enthusiasm. I did mention I was going to post something automotive related today, on my previous article. I've somehow let my schedule run amok today, which ironically, I mentioned that I got a better grip at, yesterday. Tomorrow it is, then!

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Thanks for reading! For more updates on my blogs, or the more minute things in life, feel free to follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Medium, and maybe give a shout there as well!

While you're at it, follow along @zacknorman97 for more, coming soon :-)