A year of Covid-19 in SA: Yes, children are resilient, but lockdown has taken its toll Share I’m standing outside the school gates as the Grade Rs line up outside, each one assigned their own block, 1.5m apart. Masks on and no touching each other. It’s a scene that plays out in schools across South Africa, like something from a dystopian future, only this time it’s real. Beside them, there’s red tape around the playground, a forgotten relic associated with a carefree life when break time was about pushing your friend on the swing, taking turns on the monkey bars and quick hugs before the bell rings. It’s hard to imagine it was only a year ago.