Australia had been weathering Covid-19 pretty well. There were only 102 deaths nationwide, and infection rates were pretty much confined to people coming back to Aus from overseas. Testing was easy to access and quick to return results. I got a Covid test myself after a sore throat that wouldn't go away and got my negative back in two days. Citizens returning to Aus were quarantined at government expense for two weeks to either be cleared or to go into quarantine at home if they developed Covid. Schools had reopened, traffic was light because people who could work at home were ordered to work at home. All was well.
Then people got complacent. They forgot to socially distance. They went to shops because they were bored. Some folks who were Covid positive went to work and to visit family anyway, and community infections spread. Now there are about 10 suburbs that are 'hotspots' for virus spread. In the hotspots, the Premier is threatening to lock them down totally, and they already have medical personnel going door to door to do tests. The goal is 10,000 tests per day per suburb. The army has been called in to secure those returning to Aus and doing their two-week self-isolation. A new saliva test has been developed which they are marketing as 'more pleasant' than the swabs up the nose. I'd probably characterize it as 'less unpleasant' but I'm not in marketing.
That old uneasy feeling has returned along with our over-1 growth factor. Toilet paper has once again disappeared from shelves and supermarkets are limiting eggs, TP, paper towels, milk etc. If today weren't the last day of school before holidays I'm guessing the government would have shut down the schools again. This second wave isn't huge. but when you have growth of 30 new cases per day where before you had single digits . . . it's alarming.
I still feel safe at work. There is so much hand sanitizer and spray disinfectant we could open a superstore. My hands have developed a contact dermatitis from all the washing and sanitizing. The students are mostly keeping a social distance from me. I hope we can reopen in two weeks once the holidays are over. But the uneasiness . . . I'm afraid it's here to stay. The kids feel it too. Yesterday after their meeting with the rabbi to prep for their b'nai mitzvah we stopped to order burgers. We ordered at the counter, then they asked us to wait outside until our order was ready. So we huddled in the misty rain, Ruth, without a coat, was huddled under my arm 'sharing' mine. It felt grim.
On the other hand, we are able to attend synagogue in a socially distant manner, and even with only 20 people, spread out in a huge room, there is a nice sense of kavana in those who can attend. We are desperately hoping we won't be locked down completely before our b'nai mitzvah in two weeks. This b'nai has been rescheduled three times for various family/pandemic reasons. We need this to happen, even if we can't celebrate with friends and family.
Wishing y'all continued health. We will be hunkered down for two weeks. Wear masks. Wash your hands. Be distant but with warm hearts.
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