Not 10:00 in the morning but 07:45 A.M in the City of Melbourne and a almost zombie apocalypse like quiet to the normally hustling and bustling intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets.
So it’s 10:00 A.M on day two of the latest lockdown adventure in Victoria and Melbourne and the first day I’ve returned back to work as an essential worker.
So what are my thoughts so far?
Conflicted truth be told.
The reason for confliction is that on my way into work today you could tell that not as many as people are out and about- which is obvious with the stay at home orders enacted (unlike the half arsed ones in New South Wales!) This is also seen with people that are out and about are also wearing mask and wearing masks properly for once; during the course of the lockdowns you could easily see mask compliance fall by the wayside; with most people simply wearing them under the noses and thus defeating the purpose of them!
So why am I conflicted based on my casual observations above?
Because while at work a news alert popped up on my phone saying that today’s figures are 19 new cases.
The news is just a new way to get more depressed more so then ever before so I try to be objective and stick to reputable sources like The Guardian Australia, as well as ABC Australia. I find them to be less scare mongering and more fact based- which is what I find calming.
The fact of the matter is is that most lockdowns and isolations only work when people do the right thing and tell contact tracers the truth; if they obfuscate (which we see all the time!), then it defeats the purpose. In my view people will only continue to obfuscate and outright lie because the penalties are not in place to discourage them- wait I lie! While the penalties are there to discourage it, the enforcement of it is debatable at best and in my mind negligent at worst! It’s like a human game of blackjack and most people are rolling the odds because as they say in The Hunger Games
…May the Odds be ever in your favor
Truth be told, it’s really still too early to say how it’ll go. I am trying to be positive and my casual observations show that at the very least it’s off to a good start.