The era of COVID-19: when the unimaginable became mundane

It’s a similar experience across the globe, the unimaginable has become the mundane. For us in Melbourne, as we dig down into the trenches (and our dwindling resilience), our sixth lockdown presents a time to reflect.

Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities comes to mind.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

For a while it was a tale of two cities – Melbourne’s relentless lockdowns vs Sydney’s enviable freedoms. But now the analogy isn’t so much across geographies as personal circumstances, and sometimes the daily ebb and flow of life in lockdown.

There’s been plenty of bad. But there’s been good too

We’ve had economic devastation and people's livelihoods decimated, while other sectors boomed. We've seen soaring demand for mental health counsellors, people feeling isolated and overwhelmed. And we've seen people coming together for uplifting balcony singing in Italy and clap for our carers in the UK. The homeless put up in hotels (raising the questions of what next ?). Dog shelters running out of dogs (which sadly segued to a peak in pet surrendering ). And banks putting loan repayments on ice . We’ve seen acts of kindness and generosity, and dismal acts of selfishness and hate crimes.

The unimaginable

A curfew, a restricted 5km travel radius, a limit on the time spent outdoors. Everyone in the house, all the time – parents and kids battling remote work and school, pets living their best lives. Inconceivable in 2019, but now just our daily routine.

Remote work not just tolerated as an anomaly, but mandated and embraced en masse, with hybrid arrangements likely to become the permanent norm (at least in the short term).

Shopping centres, hairdressers, entertainment venues, playgrounds… all closed. Sporting events cancelled then run minus a crowd, with people bidding to attend as cardboard cut-outs . Venue capacity caps, dancing and singing banned at gatherings… then weddings cancelled all together, the only exceptions being end-of-life or deportation scenarios. Medical appointments and funerals attended via video conference. So many video conferences…

“What were today’s numbers?” becoming a reasonable conversation starter. “Stay safe” becoming a standard email sign off.

Remember when ‘bring your kid to work’ was a thing? Now is it even a workday if you haven’t seen your co-workers’ kids and pets onscreen? Remember when you could have a meeting without anyone saying: “You’re on mute”? Remember when a suit, or heels and stockings were wardrobe choices you seriously considered?

And then there’s the plain crazy

The US president advising people to inject themselves with disinfectants . Mississippians prescribing themselves the livestock medication Ivermectin . Locally, people protesting this against COVID restrictions as in Afghanistan real freedoms were crushed.

This is not meant to be a whinge, although rereading this I can see it does have a bit of a whiff to it. What I wanted to draw attention to is the fact that things can change quickly and dramatically. Let’s take that as an optimistic callout.

Just as the Black Plague saw the introduction of closed sewerage systems. Just as the Great Fire of London saw new buildings favouring brick over wood. Just as the outbreak of Tuberculosis contributed to the creation of Central Park in NY, and the modernist trend of bright and airy architecture. Just as WW2 moved women into the workforce, a trend the 1950s tried – but failed – to reverse… COVID too will be (and already has been) the catalyst for positive change.

Crises happen. And in the aftermath of recoiling from the tragedy, things change. That toothpaste, once squeezed out, will never go back in again.