Lockdown 2.0

I just looked up how many days it’s been since the second Canberra lockdown started. It has been 50 days. The highest number of positive cases since the pandemic started, 52, was recorded today. The number was a surprise and a worry, considering the lockdown is supposed to end in two weeks. But I realised that this is not in my control and that we will have to live with Covid for long while. Lockdown 2.0 has been more anxiety-inducing than the first time. 

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About 2.5 weeks after lockdown started, I found out that I had visited a close contact exposure site. Someone had tested positive for Covid and was at Priceline Pharmacy Woden the same time I was there. We suspected that it was an employee after seeing the list of exposure times. Being a close contact, I had to get a Covid test and immediately quarantine for the next 14 days. We were already struggling with remote learning and working from home, so this was not good news for us. 

I was worried that I might have caught Covid and possibly transmitted it to the family. Luckily, my first test came back the same day and it was negative. I isolated from the family in our guest room. They also had to quarantine as they were secondary contacts. This meant that we were not allowed to leave the house. I had to reschedule various appointments and organise groceries and medication to be delivered. Phil had to look after everyone. He brought meals to my door and did everything for the family. He looked exhausted and I worried for him. We had FaceTime family dinners and I would mask up and wave to the family from my door. I counted down the days and kept myself busy with work, binge watching TV shows, reading, and exercising. We made it through with the help of our wonderful family and friends. We received a care package every few days which lifted our spirits and kept us going. I documented my quarantine days on my Instagram/Facebook stories (click here to view). 

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Although it was a pain and I missed being with the family, quarantining made me reflect and be grateful for many things: my loving and caring family and friends (near and far), our compassionate and kind community, and our local government for keeping us safe. I received a daily SMS survey to monitor any symptoms and my wellbeing. I also had a visit from the police, checking on my compliance. I realised and appreciated how much effort has been put into the Covid response. It’s also great that the ACT is leading the nation in vaccination rates (62% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated). Nicholas will receive his second dose before the end of lockdown. 

For my Covid exit test, I went to the Garran Surge Centre for the first time. It was confronting and I was overwhelmed with emotion after I finished getting swabbed. The line for testing was long and spilled onto the car park. I had to ask a few people to move so I could get the car out. It hit me then that this was the way of the world now: testing for Covid and waiting anxiously for the result. My reaction may also have been a result of being in isolation the past 2 weeks. I got my negative result the next morning and spent the last 2 days of quarantine with my family. 

It was wonderful to be with my family again and to give them hugs and kisses. On our first day out of quarantine, Phil and I walked Comet first thing in the morning and have kept this up before starting work every day. Our lockdown activities have included walks, outdoor picnics, jigsaw puzzles, baking, celebrating, reading, playing, colouring Querkles Masterpieces, building Lego, watching Taskmaster, Fleabag, Modern Love, A.P. Bio, Only Murders in the Building, Squid Game and movies. We are all hanging out for the day we can safely move around the country and the world again.