What to do if mum and dad are corona-positive

Voice from the community

When the schools switched to distance learning, homeschooling and working from home worked well for us. I am a primary teacher and family counsellor. As all my projects were cancelled in mid-March due to the measures and I took a break from teaching this school year, I was able to concentrate fully on the children. From August, I will have a small teaching role again and my younger son will then start kindergarten.

But I was also very active during distance learning. To support families during this time too, I put short films for parents about distance learning on YouTube. In these films, I show what the parents' task is and give tips on how to make working for school at home easier.

The corona findings

My husband had set up his home office in the attic so he could work undisturbed. He only had to leave the house for a few meetings. So far so good. But then came the shock: my husband's boss tested positive for coronavirus. Two days later, my husband was also in bed with a nasty cough and fever. And suddenly my worst fears were realised. We were infected and suddenly corona was very close, the reality closer than we thought. Fortunately, our children remained healthy.
The fear of what this virus would do to us, mixed with worries about who else we might have infected and all the organisational things, such as «Who will do the shopping for us?» was our new reality. We were no longer allowed to leave the house.

Were we the enemy?

Although we felt strange with the positive result, there was great solidarity among our circle of friends. Many friends and acquaintances wanted a «status report» every day to hear how this disease really felt and supported us as best they could. Fortunately, we are not in the risk group.
My husband should actually have locked himself in a quarantine room for 10 days. He should also have eaten there alone. But we didn't have the heart to do that. After all, our two boys wouldn't have been able to bear not seeing their dad for so long. I am also convinced that closeness and love help with healing.
Well, it came as it had to. I also developed symptoms. Fortunately not with the same intensity as my husband, but enough to make it difficult to cope with everyday life. Normally, the boys are allowed to go to their grandmum or granny at times like this. Two sick parents and two healthy children are an unfavourable mix. But under these circumstances, we didn't want to and couldn't give our children to anyone. The chance of infecting someone this way was too great. The weather was good and the boys were outside in the garden a lot. The television and the ordered food also made these days «survivable» for everyone. However, you can perhaps imagine what it was like at home during those days.

Today, a month later after the outbreak of the disease, we are both healthy again. We now assume that we have at least partial immunity. So we are a lot more relaxed. Of course, we are still adhering to all the guidelines, but the fear and threat that was in many people's minds is gone. That makes everything easier.
School will be starting again soon and our children are looking forward to regular lessons with mixed feelings. Of course, they are all looking forward to seeing their friends again. But they also know that the judging, measuring and comparing will start again. This causes uncertainty at the moment. They have been in familiar surroundings for eight weeks and are now being released back into the school routine. Just as it took time to adjust to the situation at home, it will take time to adjust to the situation «away from home».
With this letter, I hope to allay people's fears a little. Anyone who is not in the risk group will most likely survive this illness and will most likely be immune for a while afterwards. This in turn can be used to help other people or organisations. Nevertheless, this disease should not be taken lightly and infection should not be taken lightly.

I am convinced that we will all come out of this time stronger and learn to appreciate our lives, our opportunities and our freedom in a new way that will give us a lot of strength.

Simona Gafner's tips for families can be found at: www.gafner-beratung.ch and on her YouTube channel. She lives with her husband and two sons in Flüh (SO).

Corona chaos or opportunity?

How are you dealing with the current state of emergency at home? What are you struggling with, what is going well and what do you wish for after the lockdown? How are you coping with the upcoming start of school? We would be delighted if you would get in touch with us and share your story with us: online@fritzundfraenzi.ch

Read more about corona:

• Children and cats are the true corona masters
  The only two things I've learnt so far in this *** corona crisis are from my children. And from my cats.

• Single parent homeschooling: a voice from the community
  We're all in the same boat at the moment, the coronavirus crisis is affecting everyone - and yet every family is reacting differently or dealing with the exceptional situation differently. We asked around in the Fritz+Fränzi community and wanted to know how other families are coping.

• «Coronavirus» dossier: Relevant topics for families
  The current crisis is unsettling many families. How can I best support my children with learning at home? How do I manage to combine homeschooling and childcare? What rituals can help combat cabin fever?