Back In Lockdown

Another way to be prepared is to think negatively. Yes, I’m a great optimist. but, when trying to make a decision, I often think of the worst case scenario. I call it ‘the eaten by wolves factor.’ If I do something, what’s the most terrible thing that could happen? Would I be eaten by wolves? One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist, is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose. There are a lot of things I don’t worry about, because I have a plan in place if they do.

Randy Pausch

Hey, Lovelies.

I’m here in Brisbane, Australia, and we’ve just gone into a city-wide three-day hard lockdown after a cleaner who works at a Quarantine hotel here tested positive to the UK strain of COVID and had been out in public for a number of days before testing positive. We’ve been asked to stay home for three days, in the hopes of containing the virus and potentially staving off a longer lockdown.

It was always going to happen – that we would get spot outbreaks and new infections from travellers coming into Australia from overseas. Australia is still in the fortunate space of being able to lock down as a way to control infection. Once numbers escalate beyond a certain point it becomes almost impossible to get back under control, so I am glad for this lockdown, although I’d prefer to not be in this situation.

Yesterday, many Greater Brisbane grocery stores and smaller stores were stripped of toilet paper, toiletries, fresh food, meat, dry goods and canned goods (and cask wine in some liquor stores, so I am told!). I spent time yesterday putting care packages together and leaving them at the front of my house for friends and loved ones who had been caught unprepared for a sudden lockdown. It was a way I could help ease their panic, and keep them out of potentially being at the heart of a super-spreader event.

This pandemic is not going to go away any time soon. It’s helpful for all of us to put away some extra groceries and household items for times such as these, so that we are prepared if a lockdown situation (or any other kind of emergency) arises.

As I prepared yesterday, someone asked me if I felt that my civil liberties were being infringed by being ‘forced into mandatory lockdown’. I thought I’d answer that here too.

Part of being a member of society is being civic-minded. That means being disposed to looking after the needs of the community. At times where my sovereign needs may put my family or community at risk, I have a choice. I can choose to put my personal wants and needs aside for the greater good. And as I am a member of that same community, it makes sense that in looking after the greater community I am also looking after myself. Sure, it’s an inconvenience. It is a situation that will cause short-term pain or hardship for many too. Businesses will lose money, social plans will be ruined, special events ruined, sporting events cancelled, comforting rituals of normality unable to go ahead. But all of this is worth it, if we are able to stop the spread of a highly virulent virus that could wreak havoc within our community, and our country. It is also a way of supporting our first responders, front line workers, health care workers and public service staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our society safe and functioning, and who often put themselves at risk to do so on our behalf. So many of us take their service for granted, and expect that it will be there when we need it, without giving thought to the many people in those roles who have already committed to uncertainty, stress and sacrifice in their lives in order to show up for us when we need them. So I am happy to do my part. I am grateful for everyone else who is doing theirs.

Where ever you are, I hope that you are looking after yourself, staying close to home, looking after what matters, valuing the wellbeing of others as much as your own.

Much love, a well-stocked pantry, and a good supply of toilet paper, Nicole xx