Cape Town – After travelling through Europe on her gap-year, Catia Cicognani, 20, chose to be proactive and self-isolate before even knowing she had Covid-19.
Cicognani, from Glencairn, returned home on March 10 and two days later tested positive for the virus.
She spent weeks in self-isolation and has now recovered.
She said not being able to hug her mom at the airport and having to keep away from her family and friends was not easy, but knew she had to do it for their sake.
“I was away for a year and all I wanted to do was see my family and friends. I did not even hug my mother upon arrival at the airport.
"I also had to cancel my birthday party and watched my friends have fun on the beach, which was rather sad.”
She said she was working abroad for about a year as she was saving up for university.
“When it first started in China there was not that much concern, but as it got closer to my departure date it spread more rapidly and I went to the north of Italy and when there, (I) heard from friends that (were) told to isolate when they returned home. I decided that I would be isolating when I get back.”
“I only started getting sick when I got back. It was like any other flu, but I also had tonsillitis, which I have never had before, and even now that I am negative I still have problems with my chest.”
She wants to remind others that it is a collective responsibility to fight Covid-19.
“We must stay at home. It is only logical that the less you go out, the less contact you have with other people, the less likely you are to be infected and bring the disease back home to your loved ones.
"I also am not sure where I got it exactly and that is why people must stay home cause you can get it and not know you have it.”
Her mother, Cristina allowed Cicognani to isolate in her bedroom to be a little more comfortable.
"She was lying in bed most of the time and would leave her dishes and laundry outside her door and I would take care of those,” Cristina said.
She made sure her daughter was eating well and getting a lot of Vitamin D.
“I was making her lots of soups and making sure she got a lot of fruits and vegetables. I also made her sit in the sun for an hour, because getting Vitamin D was good for her. We did the ginger, garlic, and lemon and focused on being healthy.”