Chronicle Editor
Melissa Mpofu, Showbiz Editor
Radio and television personality MisRed has said the lockdown has been a great opportunity for her and most Zimbabweans to reflect and put things into perspective.
While urging people to continue heeding Government’s call to stay at home in order to flatten the curve, the ZiFM Stereo personality said this has been a difficult time for many, especially those whose jobs require that they physically interact with people.
“It’s almost like a double edged sword where on the one hand, you have to stay at home so you can help flatten the Covid-19 curve but on the other hand, you’re forced to figure out how you can still make money from home.
“Of which, for a lot of people, it’s challenging because their businesses need physical interaction,” said MisRed.
Despite this challenge, she said the lockdown had come with some positive vibes as it gave her time to reflect on her life.
“But in the same breath, this has also been time to reflect and put things into perspective, taking stock of what needs to be done and what needs to be stopped. Things that you can live with and those you can do without. It (lockdown) stretched us to our limit and people got to learn new things about themselves and new capabilities.”
Employers, MisRed said will likely change how they do business after the lockdown as they were forced to work with minimal staff during this period with the “less essential” ones working from home.
“Even our employers, they’ll likely start looking at how maybe they don’t need people to be at offices for them to work because people’s productivity is what shows them whether or not they need them on the team.
“This is because one can work for an hour and do everything as opposed to a person who’ll be in the office for nine hours and do nothing. So it’s (lockdown) really exposing a lot.”
On her part, she said she, ever since the lockdown began, has been conducting her drive time show – The Rush from home. This, she said was exciting for her as she enjoys being at home with her two daughters.
“For me, this is great because I’m used to being at home. I find comfort in being at home so I don’t really feel out of place. I like the idea of staying at home because my job requires me to always be out so it’s a well needed break and time for reflection and introspection.”
“We’ve been doing our radio from home and broadcasting using an online line. We made it work so it really shows you that a lot of things can be done from home.”
She urged people to continue following Government’s directives.
“People really need to listen to what the Government is saying. They’re not just saying stay at home because they want to be draconian. They really have to flatten the curve and the only way they can do so is by limiting, if not making the interactions zero because that’s how the virus passes.
“So the more we fight their directives, the more it’ll be difficult for them to achieve this. The more we listen, the better it becomes and the less incidents we see. So we all have to do our part,” she said.
Online Reporter