The last few weeks
have been really weird living in Melbourne . The city is usually crowded with people
walking in long winter jackets. It sometimes rains suddenly without warning ,
and people run to the nearest shelter. The days are very short , and people lap
up multiple cups of coffee and run in the parks. Pubss, restaurants, hotels are
always full, no matter what time of the day it is .
But you would be hard
pressed to realise that this is the same city we're living in right now. There
is nobody outside, absolutely nobody. Melbourne is now in a stage four locked
on restriction. State of Victoria is in stage three locked on restriction. until
a few years ago, Melbourne was known as the best city to live in the whole
world. The irony of it. Despite being a properly planned city , with excellent
infrastructure and better than average governance, the city has gone to the
dogs. If you people, mind you are very few small number of people, never
thought of staying in during the restrictions imposed in the first wave
lockdown. And now the larger city and the entire state is paying its price for
it .
It's always tougher
the second time around. During the first wave lockdowns, the people were
largely confident that we will be able to easily beat the coronavirus . After
all we are the Australia ,the country which survived the last recession. Even
when the lockdowns were announced, there was sheer optimism on the walls and on
the internet . Those storeys of optimism going around , people were donating
money to the poor, the needy, the sick . people for donating things like toilet
paper dried foods to those in need. Many were keeping teddy bears on the
windowsills so children could count them . But the second time around stop that
optimism is gone for the better. the number of positive cases is now more than
three times the big count from the first wave . More people have died . There
is nothing to be optimistic about.
Countries like
Australia have a problem, they have never seen Days of restriction. The
citizens often strike and shut down the streets, but they have never seen a day
when the government shuts down the streets and forced people to stay home. such
things are only heard of from developing nations like India, or a failed state
like the current USA. People here have always been free, as a country and as
individuals. So when a law is passed requiring them to give up those freedoms, they
don't know how to react. For the average Australian, giving up a full few days
of freedom is OK, but anything more than a week and the people will start to
revolt. They don't understand staying in . These are people who spend more time
outdoors than inside their homes anyway.
But there's always a
first time , specially days like this pandemic. There's a lot riding on this
latest stage for restriction. It's not only the entire country, but the entire
world watching us right now. It is essential for everybody in the country to
follow the government imposed restrictions this next couple of weeks in order
to ensure we come out clean on the other side. As I've said before, we are at
war . We are fighting an invisible enemy. But the good thing is we don't have
to go out and fight listen to me.
All we have to do is shut
up and stay home.
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