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BELONGING
Five Years Ago, Lockdown Made My Street Into a Community
How WhatsApp and worry pulled everyone together and kept it that way
Five years ago, almost to the day, my wife and I were sitting on our sofa, feeling like the world was ending. Schools were closed, offices were closed, shops were closed. The entire country was locked indoors. We did not know how long it would last or how bad it might get. We only knew that people were dying, and that supermarket shelves had gaps where the pasta and toilet paper should be.
On that day, we heard someone slip something into our mail-slot and found a small, handwritten note poking through.
“Hello, neighbours,” it read. “Things are uncertain, and I know a lot of people are wondering what’s going on. Some might need help with food or just reassurance. I’m starting a WhatsApp group for the street, so we can share ideas and resources if we need to. If you’d like to join, find me at this number on WhatsApp, and I’ll add you to the group.”
It was signed with a name, a phone number, and an address down the street.
I stared at it. Was it a scam? Surely, no one would hand-write or hand-deliver a scam to our door during a pandemic.
