Items

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  2020-07-22

  Not Wanting to Wear a Mask During a Pandemic

  HIST30060: Making History From 22nd July 2020, it became compulsory in Victoria for everyone to wear a properly-fitted face mask when out in public. This was indeed commonsense for a lot of people, many in the streets already starting to wear face coverings before the official ruling came into place. But just because it’s commonsense does not mean it is at all easy or comfortable or that it will not be the cause of what is now known as ‘mascne’. At first, the adrenaline rush of it all meant that wearing a mask felt kind of cool, and made everyone look like a spy, or at least made you feel like one. And it was quite entertaining to see people taking it all the way with their creative face coverings. But after a while, it was kind of annoying to put on a mask to take out your rubbish, made afternoon walks a bit more sweaty on the face (and noisy with the sound of your own muffled breath from being puffed, also caused by the reduction in exercise during quarantine). But with all the minor inconveniences of wearing a mask during a pandemic, you are mostly thankful it’s compulsory in your city, especially when someone on the bus coughs.
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  2020-10

  An early return home

  HIST30060 These images demonsrtate the ways that people online and in charge of covid responses have responded to the pandemic. These are all demonstrations of how I have been impacted by the pandemic, by having to leave my exchange, and by my university having been moved entirely online.
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  2020-07-15

  Travel in the Age of Covid-19

  If you would like to know why I was travelling, please see this journal: https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/item/30217 Travelling at the best of times can induce stress and anxiety. In the times of Covid-19, it is a whole different experience. I am dropped off at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. The departure screen, usually filled with flight information, now only has a handful of flights on display. Incoming flights into Melbourne have been suspended entirely. My destination is Bahrain via Dubai International Airport. Emirates Airlines EK409 is flying at about a third of its capacity (the Melbourne-Dubai route is, at normal times, a very popular one and flights are usually almost full). The extra room is welcome, allowing many travellers to lay down and enjoy a little comfort in these uncomfortable times. Masks as well as gloves are required throughout the flight. A hygiene kit is provided. I sleep for most of the flight. When I arrive in Dubai, sitting in the terminal building waiting for my connection (which is in 10 hours because of reduced flights frequency), and as a way of passing the time, I join one of my online University classes. Three months later, in October 2020, when this journal was written, travel is still a very complicated affair. This is the worst crisis to hit the industry since the attacks of September the 11th 2001. I will not take travel for granted ever again. This reflection was submitted as part of the HIST30060 Making History project at the University of Melbourne.
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  2020-03-13

  The First Bomb Dropped

  I was on exchange in Edinburgh in the first half of 2020, and was forced to return home early because of COVID-19. These messages show 3 of my friends announcing in a Facebook group chat that they were heading home to Austria, which came as a huge surprise to the rest of us in the group. This was a sad, confusing, disorienting moment, which these messages demonstrate. HIST30060
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  2020-07-02

  Social distancing measures on a train in Sydney, Australia

  A photograph demonstrating how public transport authorities have attempted to mitigate the risk of passengers contracting COVID-19.
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  2020-05-28

  Paper Bag Extravaganza (creativity in quarantine)

  I was working as a dancer on the Cruise Ship MS Zaandam when the Covid-19 Pandemic hit. Countries began to close their borders and passengers and crew began presenting with flu-like symptoms. The entire ship went into lockdown to prevent the spread of this illness which was later confirmed to be Covid-19. We were denied entry to Chile, Peru and the Panama Canal. At this time we had 4 deaths onboard. The MS Rotterdam came to our aid with medical staff, test kits and supplies. Eventually we were granted entry through the Panama Canal to disembark passengers and sick crew in Florida. The ship then left port and sailed to the Bahamas were all crew had to undergo a 14 day CDC ordered quarantine. Repatriation plans were made and I was transferred to the Nieuw Statendam and sailed across the Atlantic to disembark in Rotterdam on May 13th. This ended up being a total of 60 days stranded at sea. After flying home to Perth I faced another 14 days away from family in mandatory Hotel Isolation . We were delivered meals 3 times a day that came in paper bags and other biodegradable containers. I wanted to do something creative and a little bit quirky to pass the time. This packaging became my inspiration to create a range of outfits constructed from these recycled materials. I posted a video of these creations and it went viral on Facebook. I have kept these costumes as memorabilia.
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  2020-04-24

  Car Service details

  Extra precautions not normally required
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  2020-03-24

  Flinders Street Station, Melbourne deserted at 7.45 AM on a Tuesday morning

  Flinders Street Station in Melbourne city is one of the busiest train stations in the metro network. Normally at 7.45 on a week day morning it would be thronged with commuters, all heading off to work. This morning it was almost deserted. From today almost all workplaces, other than those deemed 'essential' are closed and most people who can are working from home. I work at the Old Treasury Building in the city. We are a heritage site and museum, now closed of course. But we are trying to document the urban environment during this extraordinary crisis, while being extremely careful of our own exposure to risk. From time to time we will share some of our photos and experiences. 24 March 2020, 7.45 AM