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COVID-19 Diaries: Playing Real Life Pac-Man in Pakistan

Ayesha Tanzeem

   ISLAMABAD - Things are moving from surreal to downright fiction-y. Yes,
   I invented that word. Only because I feel like I am watching an
   Armageddon-style Hollywood movie without a large tub of popcorn in my
   lap.

   The social isolation policy really hit home last week. VOA ordered all
   its overseas staff to start working from home. Until then, we had kept
   the Islamabad bureau open, albeit with reduced numbers and strict SOPs.
   People were coming in on alternate days and in shifts to minimize
   interaction and optimize social distancing. We were disinfecting all
   surfaces and particularly doorknobs three times a day. Everyone had
   masks, gloves, and hand sanitizers on their tables. No one was going to
   press briefings or gatherings.

   Still, there was some activity. Since I live upstairs in the same house
   as the bureau, things seemed semi-normal. Not anymore.

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