People have been posting their "last" pre-COVID-19 photo. I thought I'd take a peek at our photos and see what I found. Here's a compilation of our "last" pre-COVID-19 photos.

Above April 7, 2020: This was probably was our last walk without masks, but look how empty the Boardwalk was. We were already in Lockdown, but masks weren't mandatory everywhere yet.

Above April 4: I think this Saturday was the last time Jonathan and I ate in a restaurant. We didn't eat in the food court shown above. We ate at Hans im Gluck our favorite restaurant.  The government had already mandated that all tables and seating be spaced for social distancing.  The hostess pointed out that they would be available for Take Away and Delivery once they closed on the Monday for the Circuit Breaker.

It was also the last time we were alone together without our kids.

Above March 26: We were already social distancing even though the pools were still open.

As I took this photo I remember being very aware of that Helper walking around the pool towards us. I was a little miffed that she hadn't walked the other direction, because there was also a ramp for the stroller she was pushing at the opposite end of the pool from us. I was mentally planning out what I would to do if MsI jumped up when the lady got near to us.

At this point we were doing 10 am pool time everyday with Jonathan. He was taking a 1/2 hour coffee break to go with us on weekdays, and it was mostly the only exercise any of us we were getting because other than the early mornings in the pool it felt crowded outside and no one else seemed to be social distancing.

We weren't going to the playground at that point and had stopped all play dates and classes. I gave the kids a pep talk as we waited for the Lift each time we left the house, reminding them to keep our social distance from people even in the pool, what to say to other kids who came into our bubble and reminding everyone not to touch the elevator, their face, or put their fingers in their mouth when we were outside.

I brought hand sanitizer with us and we used it when we grabbed our towels before we came upstairs each time. Then we would go home get changed out of our bathing suits and wash our hands.

Above Mar 25: This was our last snack outside. We made it special and had bought treats from the store under our condo's clubhouse to have along with our typical snack of fresh fruit. There was a vibe in the air that we might not get to do this much longer.

When we got home from the pool that morning, I read the first Stay at Home Notice from the Singapore government which was to officially take effect a few days later.  

Before this date I always took a snack outside with us: to the pool, to the playground, and on every outing and walk. I was already well used to being aware of COVID19, so I wiped down the table and lawn chairs before we sat down. A couple kids came running up to talk to us and I realized that if we were going to try to keep a social distance between other kids, it was going to be tough.

Above March 19: This was the day of our last Art Coop class, our last trip to Universal Studios, and the our last trip on public transit. It's actually the last time the kids were in a vehicle at all.  

It was the first day that Jonathan's office was work from home only. He had come home from work the night before with his laptop bag and a large computer monitor in his hands. I had tried to take the kids out most of his first work from home day as he tried to get himself sorted out.

Above March 7, 2020: Our last guest left Singapore. Jonathan's mom got home to Canada just before Canada put in place an official 14 day quarantine on all people entering the country. Singapore's border closed to tourists around this time too. We don't know when we will get to host another visitor in Singapore.

Above March 6: The girls and mine's last MRT ride. Do you see how no one is sitting next to MsE? That shows how few people were going out casually. I suppose Jonathan's last MRT ride was March 18 (although that might have been a bus), because he was computing until then.

Jonathan and I are still taking Grabs and taxis to get around to appointments or home with groceries, but we have stopped taking public transit. The kids haven't left our neighbourhood since March 6.

Above March 1: Our last official outing as a family. The girls and I had other outings after, but this is our last one with Jonathan. His mom was still here and we had an awesome day at Universal Studios. We got in some local walks and pool time outside with Jonathan after this, but this was our last big thing as a family.

Above February  24: Our last Hawker Centre Meal: The kids and grandma and I. We wiped everything down and gave our hands a thorough scrubbing before we sat down.

January to February: I won't subject you to a long list of our last visits to the Zoo, the Museum, the Aquarium, etc. We did a lot of sightseeing while Jonathan's mom was visiting us at the end of February. Everywhere we went it was mostly deserted. Before that we had mostly stayed home through January and February watching to see what wold happen with the virus in Singapore and hoping that it would shortly be gone.

Singapore did a very long awareness campaign about the virus while very slowly increasing restrictions and preventative measures. It started at the Airport and the borders and then worked it way to businesses. Other than getting our temperatures checked often in public, there wan't much change. We were still going to restaurants, using public transit and enjoying life in crowded spaces, just constantly washing our hands "properly," and going through bottles of hand sanitizer and packages of antibacterial wipes.

PRE-COVID 19

But if we want to go back to before we first heard of that new virus rampaging in Wuhan, we have to go back to early January 2020.  

• January 2 Singapore issued it's first public health advisory about the virus in Wuhan, China.
• January 15 I'd heard about it because I remember considering cancelling that day's pre-paid nature walk, but decided as it was outside it wasn't really a risk.
• January 23 Singapore announced it's first confirmed case.
• January 24 We minimized our Chinese New Year plans to only an early New Year's Eve walk through Chinatown, and skipped most of what we had wanted to do to do during this season to avoid crowds just in case.
• January 30 I wrote my first blog post about the Corona Virus. We had gone from 1 case to 7 cases in a week.

Above Saturday January 11 ,2020:  

I think that's my personal pre-COVID19 last day. I don't think I'd heard of the Corona virus yet. Sounds like a typical Saturday in Singapore.

• I went to a doctor's office to ask for some non-essential advice.
• I went on a lunch date with my husband, tried a new restaurant and took a ride on the cable cars.
• I hosted a tea party with kids from 3 other families.

Above January 2, 2020: The same day that Singapore issued it's first Health Advisory, the girls and I were spending a typical weekday hanging out in Universal Studios.

Just look at all those little fingers on that filthy high-touch point ride surface; I'm pretty sure MsI's mouth is on there too.

Yep, that's definitely pre-COVID-19.