Happy Freedom Day !

 Happy Freedom Day, Melbourne ! Good to see everyone back. Lets not rush into things, we have got a long and glorious summer ahead of us.

A scientific opening up of the state

This just in. After more than 3 months under probably the world's harshest COVID-19 induced lockdowns, the metro area of Melbourne, and the state of Victoria is cautiously &  slowly opening up to a summer of hope. 

From midnight tonight, the city's imposed restriction of travel within 5 kms of resident's home, is being relaxed to a generous 25 kms ! And the max time limit of 2 hours is also gone for good. Families in the city can now be outdoors for however long they wish to be, as long as they don't mingle too much with other families. Outside of the family bubble, social distancing still applies, people have to wear masks and stay 1.5 m apart. But that is a small price to pay to the relative freedom this move brings to the millions locked down in the city. 

And if you can't already tell from my ear-to-ear smile, I am one of those millions who will now be able to enjoy a bit more of the elusive sun.

But nothing is set in stone, as the premier has repeatedly warned. If the case numbers grow , the restrictions will return. So we could still, technically, lose it all, if we decided to ignore the rules at the risk of public health.

But keeping that aside, Victoria's scientific and often extremely strict approach to containing this virus stands in stark contrast to how other states, and countries have bungled their own approach. After losing the plot by a ill-handled hotel quarantine system, the state had to hibernate for many months to earn their right to taste freedom again. And yes, many hundreds died during that time, and thousands of businesses went bust, but the state chose the lesser of two evils at every point. In the absence of a vaccine or anti-dote, the govt decided to save lives, instead of opening up for the sake of its destroyed economy. And this is where other countries, like the US, UK and India have got their priorities wrong.

Kudos to the city, state, and to the millions of Victorians who saw us all through. Yes this winter was longer and harsher than usual, but we can now look forward to warmer days in the sun. 

While the rest of the world decides to learn from us.

Well done, Melbourne !

Take a look at the COVID case graph of Victoria. It just keeps going down , down and down !

 

Now that, is impressive. Most of the cases in Victoria were concentrated in the capital city of Melbourne. But we knew all Victorians could see us through. It was tough, the past 6 weeks, made worse by us becoming the laughing stock of the nation. But all that matters is the result. And this is impressive indeed.

Here’s hoping we continue to keep the trend , and come out clean on the other side.

The Story of Fascism

Take one hour out of your day today. And watch this. Posting it here for posterity. And myself. 

Tis the season.

The weather in Australia continues to surprise me. Its as if someone is closely monitoring the calendar. It’s the start of September, and presto ! winter is gone. The cold, harsh sub 10 degree nights have now changed to 17 degrees. Daytime tops 20. That can only mean one thing: spring is here. Warm days abound. Had to switch the heater to ac mode.

The change of seasons here is truly amazing. Looking forward to warmer days.