Time flies when one is locked down (up?) in the isocubes. Near two months ago we got word of a building cleaner testing positive that sent us into a lockdown that has persisted until very recently. Our building has finally passed the coveted two week positive case free milestone to now transition into a ‘Precautionary Area’, enabling a single member of each household to venture out into the deserted streets once per day. Compared to much of the rest of the city, our district/community/building has been very lucky. Putuo was the first of the downtown districts to get the outbreak under control, our community had avoided much of the absurd over zealotry seen in many other sub-districts, and despite some initial drama our building ultimately came together to help each other through the situation. In addition, our building is mixed commercial/residential with an internal mall of sorts containing several restaurants with the owners living onsite. A few of these managed to open in the early stages of the lockdown and provided cooked meals for the residents, while those unable to cook offered their uncooked stock up for purchase. This was big win for both groups as food stress was greatly reduced while the businesses were also able to continue to generate some degree of income. On top of this the community organized a trio of package deliveries and the employer stepped in to ensure the team had food on the table. So overall, we were very lucky – especially in light of stories coming from other parts of the city.

With word of things starting to get under control in other districts, hopefully some light at the end of the tunnel will help provide hope those those less fortunate.