Update from Aus: Mandatory masks, Stage 4 lockdown, State of Emergency and some progress

We're three weeks into mandatory mask usage and a week into our state of emergency. Victoria's infection rates are down to about 400-450/day for the past week, from a high of almost 800 the week before. So it's working. Almost a week into Stage 4 lockdown - max of 1 hour exercise outside, plus you can go to the store alone as needed, but alone. Don't leave your circle of 5 km from your house or risk a $1600 fine. Do it twice, they'll fine you $5000. I haven't been yet, but am happy to report that Costco is just within my 5 km radius from home, so I can visit at some point in the next five weeks. There's a curfew in place from 8 pm to 5 am every day. No one allowed out during those hours unless you have a work permit or you're headed to the hospital.

Joel's not enjoying working night shift and may switch to working from home, so a big-ass microscope might be moving into our guest bedroom. For the moment he's working 2 - 10 pm, which means he's out after curfew, so he has to carry a state-issued permit saying he's an essential worker who is a) allowed to travel more than 5 km from home, and b) needs to work after 8 pm. He hasn't been stopped by police yet for his permit check, but the police are definitely out and handing out fines - a report a few days ago recorded $250,000 of fines handed out in a 24 hour period. Ruth and I have stuck our heads out the door after 8 some nights - super quiet. Even during the day it's quiet - we took Lucy for a walk today from 8:30 - 9:30 am, and we saw 10 people total, and only a few cars on the roads. When we actually see people, we are surprised. When a nice lady came out of the post office and tried to pet Lucy and say nice things about her, I was surprised again. It's weird how we take human interaction for granted, and then when it disappears how strange it seems to get it back.

Picture from The Age - St Kilda Beach on Saturday - usually packed, even in the rain.

All-online learning is in full swing. For Ruth and Isaac, no change, they've been learning online all term. For me, my last "at school" day with my Year 11s was Monday, where I had to teach every class, so in between lessons I was frantically scanning test papers I wouldn't be able to hand back in person, and rummaging through my desk drawers to see what I would need to teach from home. Not much, it turns out. There have been some cracks in my students' well-being - I'm in touch with lots of parents and our school counselors about kids who have left class crying, have refused to turn on their cameras, who have simply stopped working. My two seem fine. Ruth is doing a lot of baking and doggy bonding. Isaac is doing a lot of Minecrafting online with friends. We are s l o w l y getting through b'nai mitzvah thank you notes - amazing what they're willing to do if they are bored enough.

Family dinners have become more fun since lockdown, maybe because there's not much else to do. But they've become jolly affairs. Joel's only there on weekends, of course, but the three of us are enjoying talking to each other more consistently. The sibling fussing has stopped almost completely. Despite reports of massive hoarding of meat etc in the stores, I haven't found a shortage of anything except ground beef, which we don't usually eat anyway. Heaps of kangaroo available, and it's delicious.

Wearing a mask while teaching was awful. I would get short of breath while wearing it, and occasionally sneezed into it, which was gross. The government actually allowed teachers to teach without masks, but I didn't and I didn't see many other teachers removing their masks to teach either. My students were remarkably good about wearing theirs all the time; I was really proud of them. In the real-world, all businesses demand mask wearing in their stores, and everyone is compliant because the messaging is clear from the very top. Fines of $200 are handed out to those who don't wear them and don't have a good reason not to. You do get used to them - I used to really, really hate them, but after three weeks they've become second nature. Except when you sneeze in them. Still gross.

The dog is really helping us stay centred. She forces us to go for walks and go out and get fresh air in the back yard when our hours of exercise are used up. Puppies are selling for upwards of $3000 lately - they are all spoken for before they are even born, it seems. We're glad we got ours well before this. There are very few dogs even left in the RSPCA shelters - those that are are high-needs dogs, but I don't think anyone could even adopt in Stage 4. For breeders, they courier your new puppy to you, since no one is allowed to leave their 5 km bubble.

Our State Premier goes on TV every day to give updates. I love listening to him talk, just for his calm demeanor, his cordial relationship with the press, the fact that he and his staff are actually making things happen, and he expresses gratitude over and over to those who are doing the right thing and helping to lower infection rates. Every single day, when he announces those who have died overnight, he extends his sympathies and support to those families who have lost loved ones. It is a huge contrast to Trump's say-nothing, do-nothing, combative press briefings, and the way he barely acknowledges those who have died. I'm really grateful we have competent leadership - if you have to be in a pandemic, it's nice to know there are good folks helping to make it better.