00:00Do not be brave. Do not be stoic. Do not be resilient. Reach out. Loneliness is the twin pandemic.
00:06It's come with the social isolation. That's so much a part of keeping yourself safe.
00:11I didn't physically break into all three. I was part of a group that had to break into one. That
00:32was the first one. And another colleague and friend actually had to physically go and break
00:37open the house. So I drove down and had to, you know, bang onto the door like forever. And the
00:51guards thankfully knew me well enough to allow me to go in. We informed the police and the RWA
01:14saying this is what we are going to do. Thankfully I had a key so nobody could really stop me from
01:19going in. This is not the time to be brave and stoic. This is the time when you need your tribe.
01:39You need people, your family, your friends and neighbours. Your neighbours are your first line
01:44of defence regardless of how close you are to your friends and family. It is your neighbours
01:48who can reach you first. So to be on the RWA group is so, so important. You must introduce
01:54your friends and family and neighbours. They must be in a position to contact each other
01:58because that is critical. Make sure you share a key with someone you can trust and someone who's
02:03within driving distance, maybe 10 minutes or 15. That's critical because should you need to be
02:10rescued, it shouldn't become a three ring circus. A wellness support group is absolutely mandatory.
02:16If you're not well, have a wellness check at least twice a day with a friend and do not put
02:21your phone on, do not disturb like I said. And if you live with a child, you need to have plan ABC
02:27in place. One, your phone should not be password protected. Two, your child must know what to do
02:33in case of an emergency. Also make sure that you have a doctor that you can trust and that you have
02:39their phone number handy. Have a draft message ready with your entire medical history, whatever
02:44medication you are on currently. Also a history of allergies there. But you might as well have a
02:55care plan in place that you discuss with friends and family so they do know what you would want
03:00done in case you're not able to give consent for certain medical procedures. Make sure you have
03:05your insurance details handly. I have made sure that my family and my friends have access to my
03:10insurance plan so that, you know, just kind of gets expedited when you do, if you do have to go to hospital.
03:20If you are in any kind of prescription medicine, make sure you have at least a month's worth with
03:25you and you cannot replenish on the first of every month. Replenish for a month every 15 days.
03:30Over-the-counter products like paracetamol, vitamins, an anti-allergy, your favorite cough
03:36syrup. At least two weeks worth. Make sure you have a functioning thermometer. It's a good idea
03:42to have a steam inhaler. It's a good idea to have an oximeter, even if it's a shared resource.
03:47Two weeks worth of ready-to-eat meals, packaged food, juices, soups. Hydration is key. It's a fever,
03:55remember. So you must make sure you have enough to eat and drink. I have a meal service number
04:00handy. Make sure you have your hygiene products. And one thing which is very critical to have right
04:05now is bin liners and garbage bags because COVID-positive households have a separate
04:11garbage collection. So that's dependent on the civic authorities and it's usually extremely erratic.
04:21It is critical to remember to be present right now for all your friends, especially those who
04:26live alone, those who are, you know, the introverts, the recluse, the strong ones, the ones who don't
04:32ask for help because, yeah, that's critical, critical, critical to remember.
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