Dear Diary

Dear Diary,

Are you scared of COVID-19? I am. There are over 2.5 million people infected with the virus. COVID – 19 is a coronavirus that started in Wuhan, and has now spread across the world. The virus affects your respiratory system.

When I first heard about it 3 months ago, I was not worried at all because not a lot of people had the virus but I knew that something worse would happen. I was right! In February there were a lot more cases and many people were quarantined. Everyone was starting to feel worried.

By March things started to change, like people running for toilet paper and stocking up on food. Worse of all, I couldn’t go to Genting. I was promised that I could have a room by myself in the hotel and I always look forward to that whenever we go there. Devastated. Why did my parents not let me go? Eventually, I found out it was to protect our family’s safety. I remember, my mom saying, “This is for your own good.” It was hard to understand their decision and I felt confused.

For the rest of the March holidays, my parents treated me to movies and going to the arcade, so I wasn’t upset anymore. It actually turned out to be much better than visiting Genting because I had a lot of fun. By the end of March, there was a surge in COVID-19 cases in Singapore. My happiness turned into fear. I was worried about the health of my parents. What else could go wrong? “Tomorrow will be the start of Singapore’s official lockdown called a circuit breaker.” No! Tears rolled down my face as I listened to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s speech explaining the rules and regulations about my soon-to-be jail-time. Will this really help Singapore? We were told that we couldn’t go out without masks, only buy essential things and not to stay outside for too long. Arcades were closed, bubble tea shops were closed and McDonalds was closed. Stomping around the house and screaming, my anger got the better of me and I felt like I was going to explode.

After a few weeks of complaining, we heard that there would be an extension of the lockdown. Filled with frustration, I yelled in disbelief. How could this happen to me? Surprisingly, I miss school. I miss my friends and teachers. I never thought I would say that. Normally, June holidays is the thing I look forward to the most but this year I will spend them stuck at home doing nothing. I do not know what to do to keep myself entertained. What would you do?

Sarah.

10 years old.

TEC client, 2019-2020