Pandemic Life In Sydney, Australia

It’s not all it’s cracked up to be…

Picture a Friday night; I mean, it’s gotta be the same across the globe. You meet random friends, pick up temporary lovers and dance the night away. But this picture is not reality in Sydney, Australia.

Here’s our usual Friday night: you get dolled up, have a few pre-bevvies and head for the bus, only to realise that you have forgotten your mask. You could trek back home, but you decide to buy a disposable one at the local tobacconist instead. As you hop on the bus, slipping your mask on, you get a phone call, but you don’t answer because it’s annoying to talk with a mask on. So you message them back.

Finally, you’re at the bar, but before you enter, you have to Covid check-in. And then you’re taken to your seat, but not because the service is top notch.

“You have to stay seated unless you go to the bar or bathroom,” the Covid marshal says. That also means no dancing. And for the rest of the night you drink and sit. And doesn’t that sound fun…

But hey, we can’t complain…

In fact, we’ve gotta count ourselves lucky that we are an island nation. There’s only one way in and one way out, which makes controlling international visitors much easier. But more than that, we’ve got a majority laid back population, who can accept the little things like wearing a mask. It’s either that or locking down again.

And look, apart from the relatively boring nightlife at the moment, we’re essentially at a decent level of normal. We can go shopping and eat at cafes and go to the theatre. Of course, this is done under social distancing. A square metre rule that separates us just enough that we feel general malaise. Almost lonely. Almost abnormal.

So don’t think that because Australia’s got extremely low levels of community transmission that we’re normal. Nowhere in the world is normal; we’re all feeling the impact of Covid-19 and it totally sucks.

Of course, this is why we must work together to drive down the spread. The little things we do now can change the future.

Get vaccinated, wear a mask and know that we’ll be able to dance again, together, in carefree frivolity.