The past two weeks have easily felt like two years. I wonder if the hours and days of being home alone make the time seem to stretch out indefinitely. Or perhaps it's the rapid changes and daily updates in the news that make it seem like March 14th was so long ago.
Two weeks ago we had our first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Namibia, two Romanian tourists who had brought it in from outside. The government quickly moved up the mid-term break so schools would be closed for a month. All large group events were cancelled for the next three weeks. Stores and malls had employees greeting customers at the door with spray bottles of hand sanitizer. Borders were closed to people coming from high risk countries. It was basic prevention to keep this thing from spreading.
There were mixed opinions from the public. Some seemed overly fearful and anxious and bought the stores out of hand sanitizer, face masks, plastic gloves and liquid soap. Others didn't understand what the big deal was and carried on life as usual.
But things escalated quickly. Every few days you would hear about a new case popping up. So they closed down all the borders, except to returning Namibian citizens (who spent 2 weeks in quarantine) and importing goods. They heightened the restrictions prohibiting groups of more than 50 people. Yet still many continued normal life, hanging out at bars and shabeens.
So this past week the government declared a lockdown over the capital city and coastal region for the next 3 weeks. Parliament is closed, along with all non-essential stores. Only essential employees are allowed to work, and only up to 10 people. Everyone is to stay at home, only going out for food or health care.
There were, again, mixed responses from the public. Many people went to the shops and panic bought everything they could, stocking up enough supplies for probably the next 2 years. Others listened to the announcement and heard "3 week vacation" so they packed up and went back to their villages or farms, carrying whatever infection they don't know they have with them.
The official lockdown began today. We are currently up to 8 confirmed cases, but still no local transmission that I have heard. But we are still within that 2 week incubation period, which means, based on the experiences of other nations, our numbers could begin skyrocketing any day now. We hope and pray that these early preventative measures will have lowered the curve enough that our health care system can somehow manage.
From the church side, as in most places in the world, churches here have taken to the internet to stream services on Sunday mornings. Small groups are frantically trying to figure out how to do video conferencing. And many false prophets continue to pass around false information (e.g., that only non-believers will get the virus; that this is the end of the world; etc.).
I continue to be astonished by how many faithful Christians give in to fear and anxiety. Thus my message continues to be one of courage and boldness and hope. Times like these present great opportunities for Christians. We shouldn't be cancelling ministry to others just because we can't be with them physically. We shouldn't hole ourselves up inside our homes, build high the walls, and let the world fend for themselves. No! More than ever this is the time to courageously engage with the world, to boldly share the hope within us, to creatively share God's love in practical ways. "Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Josh 1:9).
