23 June 2020

It’s an interesting paradox on a day when the WHO announces that its had its largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases, our government announces further easing of restrictions due to excellent health outcomes locally.

We will be allowed to do almost everything we could had done before – drinking while standing up in a pub, going to the gym without being supervised, gambling at the casino, music concerts and footy games are all back on the cards. Apart from travelling overseas (obviously) and interstate at the moment, life in WA in the coronavirus world is ok.

Compared to other people, we are doing all right. Life will continue, but we will just be more conscious than ever before about hand washing and staying at home if we are sick. I would like to think we should be able to manage that.

BUT – we can’t take our eyes off the ball, or in this case, the virus. We can see from daily reports what happens when people don’t think that all that physical distancing stuff is relevant to them. We can see how fast this thing can spread. And we can see how many people will die if it takes a hold in our community.

We can see that, and we know that, but…. when life returns to almost normal, are we going to think that as long as we don’t have tourists coughing in our faces, we’ll be all right?

Don’t get me wrong – the freedoms that we didn’t notice we had until they were missing, are wonderful to have back. That first cup of coffee sitting down in a cafe, the first trip down south without roadblocks, and when we get there, the first footy game we get to… these things were wonderful.

We need to keep in our minds how good it is to have access to these things, just in case our “I’m all right Jack” mentality causes us to lose them again.

Use it, don’t lose it.

Hand washing, physical distancing, and staying home when sick. It’s not that difficult.

Today’s community service announcement was brought to you by Heather’s desire to remain free to sit and enjoy a coffee in a cafe. And maybe a muffin.