What to do during a COVID-19 city lockdown in Vietnam
Even though the COVID-19 situation in Vietnam is stable right now, there’s no such thing as being too prepared.
If the authorities decide to contain the pandemic in your town or city by imposing a lockdown, here are 9 things you can do to have an easier time at home.
1. Stay calm, it’s not as bad as you think
Residents of Trúc Bạch Street were still able to go to the local park for some exercise even when the entire street was under lockdown
Image credit: An Ninh Thủ Đô
The prospect of being under lockdown might seem scary, but people living in lockdown areas can still lead a relatively normal life. Keeping up a normal daily routine or treating lockdown as a break helps us stay calm even in uncertain times.
The people of the Sơn Lôi Village (Vĩnh Phúc), for instance, were still able to go about working on the farm or in construction sites as usual during their 20-day lockdown period. Residents of Trúc Bạch Street in Hanoi, on the other hand, even relished the chance to take a break from the usual busy schedule and take it slow when the entire street was quarantined for 2 weeks.
2. Try out some new recipes at home
Image credit: Ngan Tran
Being under lockdown doesn’t necessarily mean you’re stuck with instant noodles and canned food for weeks. Put some fresh food on the table.
Eggs, potatoes, apples, oranges, and plenty of other food can last for a couple of weeks before they go bad, so keep some of those in your fridge.
Even if you don’t know how to cook, now is as good a time as any to learn. One quick search on YouTube and you’ll be showered with thousands of detailed cooking guides that can be followed very easily. Check out this crunchy fried pork dish:
Video credit: Món Ăn Ngon
Also, avoid these 10 common kitchen mistakes to have an easier time learning.
The Vietnamese government has proven to be very supportive of people living in quarantined areas, providing them with fresh food, instant noodles, water, medical supplies, and all other necessities, so don’t be too worried about your diet taking a hit.
Fresh meat provided by the government to people living in the area of Trúc Bạch (Hanoi) when the street was quarantined
Image credit: Mai Tuyết Thư
3. Practice good hygiene
Image credit: @marttex_fashion_network_
The easiest way to stay healthy is to maintain good hygiene. Wash your hands regularly with soap and make sure your house is properly sanitized.
You don’t have to go out of your way to look for an expensive disinfectant solution to clean your house with. General detergents and floor cleaners are sufficient. Pay special attention to doorknobs, staircase railings, and any other thing that has a lot of hands touching it.
4. Dress up and tidy your room to effectively work from home
Image credit: @thesmartlocalsg
Working from home might sound like the dream. You get to sleep in a bit more, there’s no more struggling with traffic just to get to the office, and you can work from the comfort of your couch. However, it can get quite hard to stay motivated after a while as distractions set in.
If you can’t keep yourself from checking out Facebook and YouTube every 10 minutes, StayFocusd is a helpful little Chrome extension that’ll block these sites for a set period of time.
Keeping yourself well-groomed will also result in a big boost in productivity. Throw that mindset of “Who cares? Nobody sees me anyway,” out the window. After all, working while feeling fresh and clean is much better than working with oily hair and sweaty armpits.
Make sure your room is tidy too. Don’t let your boss see a pile of unwashed clothes in the background when they Skype call you.
5. Watch lessons on TV to catch up on your weaker subjects
You can find school lessons on TV now
Image credit: Tuan Minh
If you are a student, it is important to stay caught up on your school lessons, even when your city is under lockdown. Yes, it will be extremely hard to force yourself to sit down and study, but you don’t want to go back to school only to find that all those math formulas in your head have been replaced by TV dramas.
Hanoi Radio Television has already been airing lessons to help students from grades 4-12 study from afar. You can go to their official website or Facebook page to find lessons across all major subjects including math, literature, physics, chemistry, and more.
The best thing about studying via online videos is that you can just pause and replay the lesson whenever you lose focus, without the embarrassment of asking your teacher to repeat himself in real life and having your entire class glare at you.
6. Wear a mask if you have to go out
Image credit: @rymhouse_vnxk
You don’t have to be locked up inside your house all the time, even during a lockdown. Heading out for a walk on the abnormally quiet and peaceful streets every now and then can help you get some exercise. However, always remember to wear a mask when you do so, and avoid speaking or interacting with other people you may meet as much as possible.
But keep these walks to a minimum, and to hours when people are not usually out of the house, such as the early morning.
7. Go online to socialize with friends and family, but beware of misinformation
Image credit: @thesmartlocalsg
One major problem with being home too much is that it deprives you of human interaction, especially if you live alone. Thankfully, we’re in the internet era, and your friends and family are just a few swipes on the phone away.
Don’t limit yourself to simple FaceTime calls either. There are no shortage of free virtual board games that you can play together for some good time.
And yes, staying updated on the situation is a good idea, but do double-check your source of information to keep yourself and your parents from getting misled by fake news.
Here we have covered 11 myths about the COVID-19 virus to help ease your mind.
8. Entertain yourself by reading a long book or watching a multi-season TV show
Image credit: @thesmartlocalsg
That book recommended to you by a coworker that you said you’d read but never found the time to? Or those shows that you see memes about all the time but haven’t watched? There’s no better opportunity than now.
Read unlimited books on Scribd with their free 30-day trial, or watch countless TV shows and movies for 3 months on iFlix.
9. Maintain a healthy daily routine
Image credit: @trannhan.ezfit
A healthy routine makes you feel good, which in turn makes it easier to stay positive – and positivity is essential in these trying times.
Go to bed at a proper time, get up early, do some light exercises and have breakfast before sitting down to start working. You’ll feel that your days in lockdown can actually be beneficial to your health.
Video credit: Nguyen Hieu Yoga
And while you might not be able to hit the gym, there are plenty of exercises that can be done at home to help you keep your form. Youtuber Nguyen Hieu Yoga has plenty of tips on how to improve your flexibility and reduce stress.
If regular exercise is not your thing, TikTok dances are an alternative way to shake off those calories. Your final video might only last for seconds, but they take a ton of practice and retakes behind the scenes.
Don’t be afraid of a city lockdown in Vietnam
So far, the Vietnamese government has been able to keep the COVID-19 situation in the country under control, so the likelihood of a lockdown is extremely slim.
Still, even if it comes to that, it’s not the end of the world. These 9 tips on what to do in the event of a city lockdown in Vietnam will help you pull through.
For more COVID-19 stories and tips, check out:
- 10 things visitors to Vietnam need to know during COVID-19
- 17 Vietnamese share how COVID-19 has affected their lives
Cover image adapted from: @thesmartlocalsg, @trannhan.ezfit
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