As I begin writing this there is so much uncertainty in the world. It is April 2020, and Australia, like many other countries around the world are about to enter their fourth week of originally recommended, now mandated self-isolation by our government. Some countries are way more far gone than us, like Europe, the US and of course China. Living in the state of lockdown is the world's new normal. Just two months ago my partner and I returned home from an overseas trip in Europe. COVID-19 was circulating online and broadcast media as a virus inundating Wuhan, China with expert expectation to spread. But at that time I was unaware of the severe impact this virus would have on our world. Along with many people worldwide I was naive about the impact this virus could have on my life and the lives of everyone around me, and how very wrong we all were. Now state borders nationwide are closed and there are 14-day quarantine restrictions for any residents returning home. Normal life as we know it has changed, and although it seems temporary, we won't know the greatest effects COVID-19 has had on the world until it's all over, whenever that will be.
My heart hurts. It hurts for everyone across the world right now. We can't help the positions we are in. We may have lost our job, lost hours of work, be separated from our family and friends, had holidays or events like weddings and birthdays cancelled, school or university interrupted, we might be an essential worker working hard day and night to keep up with the demands of this crisis, elderly or vulnerable people isolated from the world feeling scared or uncertain of what could happen. We all fall under one, many or most of these categories. We are all feeling the effects of COVID-19, and for how long we feel the effects is currently unknown, and that’s probably the hardest part. It’s the confusion, and the uncertainty. How many people will lose their life, how many people will suffer financially, how will businesses recover from closures, how will it affect my education and employment? It's scary, I am scared and I'm sure you are scared too. Just remember, we are all in this together. The hardship, the rebuild, the recovery and the party we will all have once this is finally over. We will do it all together.
I can't help but acknowledge that this is only the beginning to what already feels like a lifetime. I will never take leaving my house for the most basic of things for granted again. Going to the shops for some non-essential snacks or a browse. Having access to a gym and a swimming pool. Coffee dates with my friends. Trips to the beach, even when it's not beach weather. Seeing my grandparents. The list goes on.
I tune into the news regularly now. Not just because I'm a Journalism student, but because I am constantly on-edge waiting for the latest announcements from Scott Morrison or Daniel Andrews that concern our everyday life and its restrictions. Don't get me wrong, I am 100% for the restrictions. I think it is necessary to impose all bans on non-essential services at this time and restrict all non-essential gatherings. To add to that, I believe the Australian Government has, and will continue to, do what is best for our country in terms of stage restrictions and economic support that they have introduced to this date. We are in a unique position to any other country, each country's growth rate of the virus has been different, so too has the transmission cause. We do need to take note of what other countries are doing but that doesn't mean we must follow exactly what they have done. Our economy is different, our services are different, our people are different, their lifestyles are different. Our country is unique and our government will handle our response to COVID-19 in the way it sees most fitting for our country with the best expert advice given to our government. Need I remind you that this has never happened before. You and I have never seen this type of disaster strike the world before and neither have our ancestors. You try to be Scott Morrison or any other government official in Australia or any other world leader right now. It's frightening. They are visibly worn out and we have only scraped the surface. They are working to meet your demand, our demand. They are looking out for your best interests now, but also your future interests, to ensure our country survives the most catastrophic health and economic disaster it has ever experienced. And our Prime Minister isn't perfect. He will make mistakes in press conferences and he will learn from these mistakes. Each time Australia makes a decision, it is a new first for any Australian government or state government. I will commend the work Daniel Andrews is doing in Victoria. He has handled each decision with professionalism, class and consideration. He is concise and thoughtful in what he says, and that's not taking anything away from any other ministers, it's just an observation. I'll take comfort right now in being Australian. Our position is not the worst or the best. But I'm lucky, we are all lucky. We are living in a democracy that looks out for the best interests of all its people, a country strong enough to overcome and rebuild from this disaster. There is no quick fix for any of this but for now the message is simple, stay home.
If you are an essential worker anywhere in the world right now, we commend you for your hard work and we are proud of you. Front life health workers such as; doctors, nurses, paramedics and carers, teachers and early childhood educators, retail workers particularly those in supermarkets and fast food services, banks, post offices, pharmacies. The world desperately needs you right now and the work you do will not go unrecognised. Take a minute to thank the people working within these services in your local area, they are your hero's right now. These people are scared too. Their partner might have lost their job, they might have elderly or vulnerable family members at home, their children are out of school and at home now. Support our essential workers in any way you can.
If you are like me and temporarily unemployed, questioning how long ‘temporary’ will be. I am personally looking at my time not working as a time to focus my energy on other aspects of my life. I’m working really hard at university, despite it all being online and having no classes, it's pressuring me to have a set routine and push myself to complete all tasks with discipline. I’m finally figuring out what my career aspirations are and I'm passionate about what I'm studying for the first time. But it is important to mention that I am not this motivated or productive every day. Nowhere near. My unmotivated, unproductive days are more frequent, and that's okay. I’ve been binge watching tv shows as much as most people, banking banana bread and various other things, i’ve even found myself watching TikToks for hours. I’m still proud of myself. I’m not letting myself get down about the bad days, I build myself up from the good days and I reward myself. I may not be able to work or visit family, or many other ‘normal’ things. It’s been hard. I am trying to control the things I can control, in moderation. I'm not perfect and at times like this when the world is not perfect, it doesn't need you to be either. Just do your best, and do what you feel up to. You have plenty of time to grow with the world when it needs you to help it too.
Reflecting on the world right now, my observation is that we should settle into things being different for an unknown ‘while’. I’m gearing up for one of these ‘isolation birthdays’ where I might throw a zoom party with my friends and family. I’m still unemployed, waiting for Centrelink to finally get back to me like thousands of other Australians. Things could be worse. I’ll keep baking really bad banana muffins, and I'll keep applying for jobs. I’ll keep planning the 5 holidays I’m booking when domestic and international flights are not banned and the world is healthy. And I’ll stay home until this whole thing is over and i’ll have a massive celebration with all my family and friends WHEN this IS over. The world may take a while to recover, but I sure know a whole bunch of incredibly strong and determined people ready to take on the world when it ‘reopens’.
Hannah.
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