COVID-19 Pandemic is Nothing to Sneeze At

By Duncan Horscroft on October 29, 2020 in News

Microchipping in Progress. Photo: Anthony Fauci

For many generations the “she’ll be right mate” attitude has been part of the Australian culture. It helped our fathers and forefathers cope with the trauma of two world wars where they fought and succeeded in keeping our country free.
But now we are faced with a world war of a different kind in the form of a virus known as COVID-19. As Aussies, most of us were a bit blasé about the effects of this deadly pandemic, thinking it was only an accentuated form of influenza, which can also be fatal.
However, since the start of COVID in Australia, we have been forced to readjust our lifestyles and abide by rules set down by state health bodies, which include social distancing, wearing of masks and continual sanitising.
Unfortunately, many have ignored the warnings and continue to live as though nothing is wrong. This has been evident in a number of local venues which were shut down and fined for non-compliance with the regulations.
The first spike we experienced in the Waverley area was at the Eastern Suburbs Legion Club in Charing Cross where a patron who had attended the venue was later tested COVID positive.
Several members of one Bronte family had attended the club and a couple of days later visited the Clovelly Bowling Club for Father’s Day drinks. Unbeknown to one of the members he had also contracted the virus and tested positive a couple of days later.
I was in the company of the victim and was gobsmacked when New South Wales Health contacted myself and a couple of mates, telling us we must get tested immediately and go into self-isolation for 14 days from the actual contact.
Admittedly, I was also a bit nonchalant about the whole COVID thing in the beginning but was certainly brought back down to Earth when I received the call from New South Wales Heath.
My initial test proved negative and a second test five days later was also negative, which was the same for my other two mates.
The mate whose father tested positive also got the all-clear after he was tested, but other members of his family succumbed to the infection which, fortunately for them, was not too serious.
Being self-isolated in your own home is not too bad, but you can certainly understand the mental health effects of being caged in some shonky Surry Hills hotel or aged care facility and having no contact with the outside world.
I admit the “what if” factor played on my mind before the initial test results came back. New South Wales Health has been on top of its game notifying people through contact tracing of the potential to contract the virus. I have nothing but praise for those on the frontline in the testing facilities who strive to keep on top of this pandemic. Without them we would be in a much worse position.
So I suppose the message here is to be aware and abide by the rules, and don’t think ‘it won’t happen to me’. By adopting that mindset, hopefully “she’ll be right mate!”