We’re tired of what we’ve been through. Tired worrying about what might be to come. And while few think we are going back to lockdowns and mask mandates, we’re facing the reality that any hopes the pandemic was over were wishful thinking.
As Melbourne faces another winter blighted by COVID, Catherine Williams speaks for many when she says simply: “I’m exhausted.”
“For me, it’s the uncertainty of making plans. You have things to look forward to after so long of things we couldn’t do … catching up and going to things and COVID just throws that spanner in the works. It’s like everything is heading back to a holding pattern. “We associate coming out of the lockdowns with having the picnics in the park and reconnecting with friends. We got to those things in like October last year, and you started to appreciate the simplicity of going to a park with friends. Whereas I think now we’re back at feeling a bit sorry for ourselves. Like, ‘Not again’.”
“People are over it now. We’ve had this freedom. I worry if we try to go backwards people are just going to say, ‘No’.”Dental nurse Kori Richards, 27, echoes those sentiments. The demands of her very public-facing job, and the broader COVID experience, have left her tired of staying on top of the demands of living with the virus.“How do you know you’re doing the right thing all the time? It’s really tough. I definitely think a mask mandate is fine.
“This is a major, major issue for the disability community,” she says, having endured two years of disrupted medical care and the constant anxiety of catching the virus.“I think more people should be concerned, not necessarily to live in fear, but to just be mindful that, yes, it might be just one sickness, but it could also be the rest of your life.”
In her corporate life, she says nearly everything can be done effectively from home. “Everything’s working perfectly well. But I think you do lose something from not having the day-to-day contact with people. Missing out on those incidental conversations that always bring you so much.”Melbourne Institute
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Albo to make major new Covid moveAnthony Albanese has bowed to pressure to hold an emergency national cabinet meeting on Monday as Covid cases spike over winter. Get the details here 👉
Read more »
Anthony Albanese reverses decision to scrap pandemic leave payments after national cabinet meetsPrime minister says support will continue until the end of September amid winter Covid wave set to peak in August
Read more »
Emergency national cabinet meeting to reinstate pandemic leave paymentsThe state and territory leaders will meet with the prime minister today to discuss measures as COVID cases rise.
Read more »
Albanese calls national cabinet meetingThe Prime Minister has called a snap national cabinet meeting scheduled for 9am Monday after backlash from state leaders and Labor MPs over the decision to axe the pandemic leave payment and free RATs.
Read more »
Major Melbourne hospital to pause elective surgery amid COVID-19 spikeThe Alfred Hospital in Melbourne is set to pause elective surgery as rising COVID-19 cases threaten to overwhelm the health system. 9News
Read more »
Major Melbourne hospital to pause elective surgery amid COVID-19 spikeThe Alfred Hospital in Melbourne is set to pause elective surgery as rising COVID-19 cases threaten to overwhelm the health system. 9News
Read more »