Items
topic_interest is exactly
lockdown
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2020-08-01
Guessing the Numbers
As Melbourne’s second wave crested and fell in mid-2020, “the presser” was appointment viewing; “the number” could bring hope or despair. Sometime in the dreary days of lockdown, my family started guessing how many cases would be reported each day. Keeping a running tally of who was closest to the pin. Perhaps it was a way of taking control of the uncontrollable. Dealing with the apparent randomness of the numbers that controlled every aspect of our lives. Some of the scraps of paper we used to write on were time capsules of a vanished world: a rough sketch of enrolments for the second half of my BA; an invoice from a tradesman; a reminder note to pick someone up from hospital. Plans, visitors, outings – all overwritten by inexorable quotidian sameness. Submitted for University of Melbourne HIST30060, Semester 2 2021. -
2020-06-30
Glass Animals, Heat Waves- A Lockdown Music Video
As the number one song in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2020, Heat Waves is a song that is irrevocably linked to the Covid 19 pandemic. While its lyrics about loss and longing and the inability to fix anything aren't specifically about the pandemic, its themes resonated with audiences as they mourned the loss of their old lives and lamented over their helplessness. Although it was released in 2020, its popularity continues to grow in 2021, proving the song's staying power. The music video is incredibly unique and truly representative of the time, capturing how neighbours and strangers struggled to connect despite lockdowns and physical barriers. In a comment under the YouTube music video, Glass Animals wrote: "this video is a love letter to live music and the culture and togetherness surrounding it. It was filmed at the peak of the lockdown in my neighbourhood in East London by the lovely people who live around me, just using their phones. These are people who are usually out at shows, in galleries, going to cinemas etc. These venues are left empty now, and many of them will not survive. The song is about loss and longing, and ultimately realizing you are unable to save something...and this video is about that but for art, being together, and human contact. Huge love and thank you’s to everyone who got involved and helped out. When everyone was leaning out of their windows filming, I felt that same sense of togetherness and spine-tingling energy that happened at live shows. It made the coldness of performing to an empty room with the band stuck on screens feel even more heart-breaking." HIST30060 -
2021-10-29
Kehilat Kolenu Online Services - Jewish Melbourne
During the lockdowns and COVID restrictions in Melbourne, Jewish communities found ways to connect. Especially important are the Friday evening services for Shabbat. Kehilat Kolenu, a Humanistic Jewish organisation held zoom meetings in place of their usual Kabbalat Shabbat services. Especially during the loneliest, most isolating periods in my lockdown experience, these zoom meetings where I could hear the songs of my culture helped me feel spiritually and socially reconnected. HIST30060 -
2021-11-01
Yiddish Cabaret Postponed in Jewish Melbourne
Melbourne's state of rolling lockdowns through the second half of 2021 played havoc with the performing arts industry. 'Durkh A Modnem Gloz' ('Through A Strange Lens'), staged by the Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre in Elsternwick, a Yiddish cabaret performed by Galit Klas (with English translation surtitles created and operated by me) was an event that had to be rescheduled multiple times. As seen in the first image, the original performance dates were listed June 23-27, but was postponed to July 21-25 due to insufficient rehearsal time, thanks to the lockdown ending 10th June. With a new lockdown coming into effect on Thursday 15th of July, new dates were again required. In the Facebook post on the 21st of July (screenshotted and posted here), the Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre officially announced the postponement. These new dates were set for August 4-8, but the opening night was the only show performed as Lockdown 6 was announced and came into effect on Thursday 5th. Now with that lockdown finally over, will ‘Durkh A Modne Gloz’ finally get the full season it deserves? (Uploaded as a part of my university studies: HIST30060) -
2020-05-21T22:21
Lockdown Jigsaw Puzzles 2020
One of the ways that my family and I relaxed in the evenings during the first COVID-19 lockdown was by doing jigsaw puzzles. Here are just two examples of the many we completed throughout 2020. We set up in the living room using a board of sorts (cardboard from the box our television had been in) to do it on so that all the pieces would stay within one area and the whole thing would be portable if we needed the table back. The map one (left) had 1500 pieces and was the first one we completed in May. The second puzzle pictured here (right) was a particular struggle because it did not come with a picture of what the finished puzzle looked like. We all worked on our own little sections before figuring out how they all came together. It was an incredibly satisfying moment to see the puzzle completed finally knowing how each of our little parts fit together to create it. Jigsaw puzzles have been something that have helped me relax for years. There was often one at my high school library that I would do to have a break from my studies in order to take my mind off things. As it was in the library multiple people would join in making it very much a collective effort. Thus, doing jigsaws with other people, in this case my family, during these hard times was one of the things which helped keep me relatively sane during 2020. It was a very rewarding activity that allowed for greater engagement with one another than simply watching television for hours on end. -
2021-07-24T14:50
Chicken feeding as a lockdown activity 2021
In July 2021, while on one of my afternoon walks, I discovered this local lockdown activity of chicken feeding. A local household was offering people the chance to feed their very friendly and excitable chickens. I am unsure when this activity first started as I do not usually walk the way that would take me past them. However, it was an amusing and relaxing thing to be able to do amidst the chaos of a global pandemic. The chickens were really very cute, despite not the brightest creatures I've ever known. I have visited them with my family regularly ever since that first time and have noted that other people, often local children, have also relished the opportunity to interact with live animals. In a small way, I believe the chickens have brought the neighbourhood a little closer together and given local children the opportunity to interact with animals they would not normally get a chance to. Sadly, due to old age and the presence of urban foxes the number of chickens has decreased and only one of the original trio remains (as of October 2021). However, she has a new friend now and is very keen to establish her authority. The sign and container of dry food has been removed but we often bring them other food- they are particularly fond of sowthistle. -
2020-11-24
Public transport use- Myki History 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way I travel on a local level. Before the lockdowns in Melbourne I would frequently (several times per week) travel via public transport, mainly on trams. However, the lockdowns meant that all the things that I would use public transport to get to were moved online. As a result, for over eight months I did not use public transport at all. The increased exposure sites on trams meant that even when restrictions eased in various periods, I was reluctant to use them. The few times I have been on trams since I have felt anxious as there were often other passengers that did not wear facemasks properly, if at all. As a result, I now tend to use other forms of transport such as cycling and walking to arrive at destinations. -
2021-10-29
(HIST30060) Leaving Victoria
HIST30060. This meme highlights how many Victorians felt after enduring the longest duration of lockdowns in the world. Between March 2020 and October 2021, 254 days in total were spent in some form of lockdown in the pursuit of ‘elimination’ – the attempt eradicate COVID-19 from society completely. Whilst seemingly satirical, this meme alludes to a hidden truth. 43,000 Victorians left the state during the two-year pandemic according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Whilst seemingly small relative to Victoria’s 6.6million population, the amount of people that left Victoria was the equivalent of the entire City of Wodonga leaving the state. No other state or territory recorded a reduction in population, especially on this scale. -
2020-04-11
(HIST30060) The 'Intimate Partner' Clause
For many experiencing the pandemic in Victoria, the intimate partner clause meant that our girlfriends, boyfriends, or partners were the only persons many young people were able to see - well at least legally that is. Initially, the intimate partner clause did not exist, which was heartbreaking for many couples that lived apart, facing the prospect of not seeing their partner for an unknown amount time, during an unsettling and unprecedented period. When the clause was introduced, it was a saving grace for couples. For others, it legally introduced a sneaky way to meet people inside their bubble, particularly after connecting online. I was lucky enough to meet my girlfriend during what was her first and my last on-campus class for the last two years - before lockdown was a thing. After facing the scary prospect of not seeing each other during the first stages of Melbourne's first lockdown, the intimate partner clause allowed us to spend every day for months and months between houses, happily isolating in our shared bubble and growing incredibly close. -
2021-08-17
Pfizer Vaccination Approval Form – HIST30060
This document is an example of evidence given to students at Ormond College as proof of eligibility for the Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine. With a push for widespread vaccination happening in the second half of 2021, there were various reasons for eligibility which were introduced in order to manage the rollout. This letter indicates that an Ormond College resident is eligible due to their residence in ‘sensitive accomodation’ – namely ‘supported residential services.’ Many identical letters were distributed to students in order to encourage vaccination, and thus reduce the chances of a serious outbreak on campus. HIST30060. *Names and personal information has been redacted. -
2020-06-08
Isolation Bingo – HIST30060
This game of bingo is an example of many of the online activities which were introduced as a form of entertainment during the various lockdown periods. Separated from friends and wider communities for long periods of time, innovative methods were necessary in order to encourage continued connection and interaction. This particular game is targeted towards members of the Ormond community, and refers to a number of specific scenarios that many residents would have experienced. While some are related to a ‘non-COVID’ semester at Ormond (such as ‘Survived O Week’ or ‘Got lost in Main Building’), many relate to the lockdown experience (like ‘Kept your camera on for an entire uni zoom tute’). In reminding readers of familiar scenarios, this seeks to inspire a continued relationship between members of the institution, and to reduce feelings of isolation. HIST30060. -
2021-10-10
Zoom Meeting Attire (HIST30060)
(HIST30060) This is a photo of what I wear during Zoom meetings; a button-up top and pyjama shorts paired with moccasin slippers. Although talking about wearing pyjamas has become somewhat of a cliché during the pandemic, it does not make it any less true. When Zooming with friends and attending online university tutorials, I tend to make an effort from the waist up and opt for comfort from the waist down. I figure if wearing pyjamas all day is one of the small glimpses of joy I can get from an otherwise tough situation, then I’ll take it. -
2021-10-01
Can't Leave the House Without... (HIST30060)
(HIST30060) This photo depicts the contents of my hall table draw which is located near the entrance of my house. Inside the draw are the essential things I can grab before rushing out the door. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the draw was just for my keys, but now (as we can see in the photo) it also houses my family's spare masks and hand sanitiser. I thought this photo was important to share as it captures what I now cannot leave my house without. The mask no longer feels strange or new, instead, it feels like a second skin that I feel bare without. -
2020-03-24
Closing My Street Library (HIST30060)
(HIST30060) This is a photo of the closed sign my Mum and I put on our street library after we found out about the pandemic in 2020. It reads: Dear Street Library Patrons, Our library will be closed as of Tuesday 24 March until further notice due to scientific findings that the coronavirus was detected for up to 24 hours on cardboard. Our community safety is my priority <3 I look forward to re-opening soon! We made the street library in 2019 so the community could share our love of books. People could take a book, read it and, if they wanted to, put their favourite book back in. It made us sad to close the street library but after the lockdown was over we started it back up again! -
2020-04-25
How it started... How it's going
So many things about the pandemic has been (and continues to be) traumatizing and negative and irritating. But looking back through my phone I saw a photo from the first puzzle I did in April 2020, and then the first photo of our Pandemic Pet, Sunny, from October of that year. So, instead of focusing on the disruptions, today I will focus on two good things from the pandemic. Putting together puzzles has been a fun, stress-relieving activity for me, and I continue to have a puzzle going on our rarely used table even if our lives are back to full busy mode. So that is a hobby I picked up during the pandemic that I can see continuing long into the future. Also, the kitty has brought fun and cuddles to our family, and we all love her (except, perhaps, the dog). Getting a cat was not on our radar until we were locked down and sad. So, for now, I am thankful for puzzles and kitties. -
2020-04-16
Covid Consolation Puppy
A week after the first shutdown began in March of 2020, schools were shut down and I was no longer able to complete my student teaching. I was furloughed from my job and locked inside for what we originally thought would be two weeks. With no end to the lockdown in sight and nothing to do, it became stressful and quite boring. Living with my parents at the time, the entire family was locked inside and tensions were high. One day, my mom got a call from a former coworker whose dog had just had puppies a month prior. She offered us a puppy and my mom, knowing how sad I was at not having a job or an internship, accepted and I was able to pick any puppy I wanted. Freyja, my dog, was my Covid-consolation-puppy. She was very young and I was up all night and all day with her, potty training and playing with her. My time was entirely consumed by this puppy and I was never bored or alone again. We joke that she was a consolation puppy because I never got to complete the typical training any teacher before received. A few months after the first shut down ASU canceled graduation and went virtual, it was another blow, and knowing I would not be able to walk the stage to get my degree was tough to handle. However, Freyja made things easier and took my mind off things. She grew with me and she became my best friend and protector. When I moved out, she kept me safe. When I separated from a long-term partner, she was what I found joy in. I love my dog very much because she came into my life when I needed her most. -
2020-03-23
Introverts vs. Extroverts during Lock Down-A meme
I am an extrovert. I get my energy from people. I love people. I surround myself with a lot of people. The three months leading up to the pandemic lock down I had been surrounded almost every day by almost 200 of my closest friends, people I call my family because we worked together on a theater production called Susanville Best of Broadway. When the pandemic hit, the show was cancelled and then even my work sent everyone home. I was home with my kids. And it was very quiet. We are a very active family involved in many local community projects. I have meetings every week and they have sports. All of sudden, we were home. And if I saw someone I knew while out in public (the grocery store) it was weird. I didn't know if I could hug them (I didn't) and would just awkwardly wave from a distance. It was terrible. In fact, my girls struggled and would still have friends over. I made them limit it to just one friend, but even then, we struggled. This meme really got to me. I remember hearing friends say how their life didn't change at all because they were already homebodies. The idea of being home was actually very stressful. I ended up working at my work, because being home all day to work was not very much fun. I learned a lot about myself during that time. Most importantly, I need people in my life. -
2020-06-07
Much too early
The country was clearly still in distress when governments decided to reopen -
2021-10-07
Abigail Barr Oral History, 2021/10/07
This audio recording describes my grandfather's funeral at the beginning of the pandemic. It was very difficult because my family couldn't grieve together. We had to have separate services ten people each. We could not have any other family come because we were on lockdown. The whole situation was extremely sad because the pandemic kept our family apart during a difficult time. -
2020-08-03
Europe Travel 2020
After being locked down in Germany for months, the European Union lifted their travel ban briefly in August of 2020. Me and a few of my friends took advantage while we could and drove to Brussels, Belgium to eat chocolate and drink beer. -
2021-09-10
Australian Census Materials
The Australian Census was conducted when many people and cities were in Lockdown. This changed the nature of Census work. No longer door knocking, workers were required to drop of census materials and reminders in keeping with 2021 contactless procedures. I wasn't allowed to doorknock but had to use intercoms for large apartment buildings. We were given masks and bright yellow satchels to carry materials. -
2021-09-17
The Census in Lockdown
The Australian Census looked little different this year. Census employees in states and cities in lockdown had to conduct contactless follow up visits and were issued with ABS branded masks for the purpose. -
2021-09-09
Lockdown Life with a Whippet
Here in Victoria Australia, our pandemic experience has been easier than most. We live in a regional area and we have not had the angst of the long ongoing harsh lockdowns experienced by Metropolitan Melbourne . However going in and out of lockdown, hearing about growing exposure sites and increasing Delta virus numbers is disturbing and anxious making. The one constancy in our lockdown lives, is Pip the Whippet. Walking, sleeping, eating and loving is all she does. In lockdown her daily taste was to go into the local cafe and bring cheer to the Barista while my husband waited to pick up our takeaway coffees. Attached is a picture of Pip the Whippet waiting for our take away coffees. She has been a ray of sunshine in our lives at this point in time, and wearing her hound tee has brought a smile to all, as we progress through this, the strangest of times. -
2021-09-16
Melissa Amante, Arina Konovalova, and Elisabeth Knott Oral History, 2021/09/16
We described the social and emotional challenges that we faced when the lockdown first began. This included the topics of education, social media, and mental health. -
2020-03-01
COVID through the eyes of others
Going through the pandemic myself has had a lot of highs and lows. Despite having to be relatively locked down and isolated from most people until vaccinated, I was able to pick up a lot of hobbies and overall just learn a lot more about myself. As I look back, I can't help but think about how this experience has been different for others, with one of these groups being the elderly especially. There's one couple that is friends with my family who are both just over sixty years old and starting from March 2020 has been on complete lockdown. They order their groceries, don't see anyone outside their immediate family, and rarely leave the house. While COVID for me has its positives and negatives, I can't imagine how different the experience has been for them, both out of isolation and fear of getting sick. Thankfully, they have been vaccinated and have extended the bubble of people they see slightly. I just can't get over how while some who are skeptics of the pandemic run around carefree, others are locked away in their homes fearing for their health. -
2021-01-19
Meme about the Pandemic in Austria
I saw this meme in January 2021. It was created by an Austrian online news platform called "k.at" and was posted on their Instagram channel. The first picture on the left shows a hamster who is hoarding (or rather "hamstering") toilet paper. This showcases a phenomenon which occurred in Austria as well as in Germany: some people bought as much toilet paper as they could in the beginning of the pandemic out of fear of a lockdown (also other things as e.g. noodles, rice etc.). The result was that most people couldn't buy any toilet paper because it was sold out at most places and the manufacturers of toilet paper couldn't keep up with the production. It was kind of absurd. The second picture on the right also shows a hamster who seems to have a great time skiing. This should represent the third Austrian lockdown. At this time (around January 2021) many Austrian tourists went skiing even though the numbers of Corona cases were rising. It was quite a controversy at the time because a lot of other activities (like social gatherings) were regulated by the state for health precautions, but the skiing resorts weren't affected (and the Corona cases were also rising in these places). A little sidenote: The Coronavirus allegedly came to Germany in 2020 because of German tourists who came back from said Austrian ski travels... -
2021-02-01
I got two Cats duing the Pandemic
I've always wanted to get a cat. I've only had pets while living with my parents, at first I had a black cat and then a pug. After moving out from my parents' home, I dreamt of getting a cat again. But right after moving out (I was 18 years old at the time) I didn't have the time or the money for a pet. Fast-forward a couple of years later, when the pandemic hit us all: I've had so much time on my hands to think about life in general while staying at home. I realized that I was finally ready to get a pet (or, as it turned out, two pets). I had a lot of time to research how to properly prepare myself as a pet owner and how to appropriately take care of animals. And - as a lot of us during 2020 - I spent much more time at home than usual, which was perfect to welcome a pet to its new home. I was lucky and found two happy and healthy kittens. But sadly, during the pandemic, a kind of "black market" for pets developed in Berlin and other big cities. The market for pets was bigger than ever in Germany, and a lot of them were in bad conditions and/or sold at very high prices. Often times I saw people offering kittens and puppies, who were way too young to be separated from their mothers. It was really heartbreaking to see how bad the situation was. The only bright side was that all the animal shelters in Berlin had no problems to find pet owners for the dogs and cats there. -
2020-04-24
The Daily, "I Forgive You, New York"
I remember listening to this episode when it first aired during the peak of the pandemic. I am certain I am not alone in the ways this very raw and heartful lamentation of New York City when the city's fate was uncertain. -
2020-10-31
Connecting through Climbing in the Pandemic
Just prior to the pandemic, I got seriously into rock climbing. For me, not only it was a much more fun way to work out, but it is absolutely a social sport. Everyone at the climbing gym was and continues to be extremely friendly, and you can simply strike up a conversation with anyone by simply asking what routes they are working on so that you can help one another find the most efficient way to reach the top. As all the routes are graded, just watching yourself improve and working on harder routes is an amazing feeling. With the outbreak of the pandemic, however, the gym closed until September, and I felt like such an important piece of my life went missing. While it was hard losing an activity and social outlet like that, I like trying to find silver linings in the difficult times. Even though it took me a while to come to this conclusion, I realized that it took the pandemic and losing it to truly appreciate the people there and sport itself. Ironically, I can almost contribute the pandemic to my continued obsession with climbing, even if it did rip it away from me for a few months. Attached is a picture of the first event back at the climbing gym, which was a lights-out event for Halloween where you could only use headlamps to see where you were going. -
2020-03-13
Madison Orpheum Theater Covid sign
In March 2020 Wisconsin had a state-mandated two-week lockdown. So, I went out with a camera (with a zoom lens that wasn't needed) and took pictures of the closed signs on businesses and of how desolate Madison was. -
2020-04-01
Finishing my Undergraduate Degree during the Pandemic
I was starting the last semester of my undergraduate degree when the pandemic hit the globe. At this time (around March 2020) I was planing to work on my senior honors thesis and happy to start my master's degree in October 2020. But in order to finish my thesis, I had to do some intensive research first: my plan was to visit a big German archive in Berlin and also to do some research in a couple of libraries. But just before I could do so, all German institutions went into lockdown and closed for months due to health precautions. As somebody who studied History and had to visit an archive for my thesis, I felt like I was totally stuck in my academic studies. I felt like it was impossible to finish my studies in the scheduled time, and for months I didn't know how to continue my academic work. Luckily, my university was considerate enough to extend the submission date for my thesis. After a couple of months of not knowing if I could start my master's degree in time (and in general not knowing how my academic and financial future would look like if I didn't finish my undergraduate degree in time) the archives and libraries opened up again, and I could continue my research and finish my thesis. -
2020-09-24
The Mask
I wrote this poem during my senior year shortly after Providence College began its campus lockdown in September of 2020 in response to a major spike in COVID-19 cases. Unable to leave my apartment on campus for days at a time except to go for a walk by myself around campus, I felt the weight of the emotional impacts of the pandemic. I wrote the poem from a place of hurt and concern that my fellow students could not abide by guidelines to keep the campus community and the surrounding community safe. Masks were simultaneously hiding our fears while also being a constant reminder of them. I published this poem in the Portfolio section of The Cowl, Providence College's student-run newspaper. It appeared in the October 1, 2020 issue. -
2020-05
Waiting to be Connected
I moved out of New York City for a month in the spring of 2020 during the period where my gallery furloughed most employees aside from the principal directors and a select number of sales people. I spent that time with my father in upstate New York in a close quarters quarantine. I was always struck by the quiet during the day and how visible and bright the stars were at night. Two things that seemed foreign to me at times as I grew up in cities and had lived in various Brooklyn neighborhoods for the past year. The passing sound of car stereos and people’s voices on fire escapes from a floor above were white noise. All vibrant - completely alive - no stars. His apartment was a studio and at the time he had not yet begun paying for internet service. Some nights we would drive four or so minutes down the road to the apartment complex where my Dad used to live a few years prior. We would camp outside the complex’s gym which housed one or two treadmills and the outside looked like a glorified garage - but it had wifi. As we were no longer residents and owners of a key pass to the facility, my Dad would pull up to the side entrance and put on his hazards. I would jump out and begin to search for a signal and attempt to connect to the complimentary internet. Whenever a stray person would emerge from their units to retrieve Amazon packages from their front stoop, I would make uncomfortable eye contact with them, as I held up my phone. Yes, yes, this is what you think it is. They hastened back up and quickly closed their door behind them. I found that the most expedient way of downloading content was to position myself by the exterior front left corner and stand with my back flush against the wall. Every night my Dad and I listened to podcasts and drank tea. Despite everything, moments like these helped us laugh and I look back at this memory fondly. -
2021-09-08
Relative Distance
A couple of weeks before lockdown began in March of 2020 I had reconnected with someone I met in college years prior. We went on a few dates before I left to study abroad and nothing developed further, but we had struck up a conversation over text and had made plans to meet in Boston the weekend that New York City declared a state of emergency. Needless to say, we never met for drinks that weekend, yet we talked every day without fail for the rest of 2020. Our initial conversations typically revolved around the different developments of the pandemic but we started to get to know each other as text conversations became phone calls then video calls. Our connection grew as a reaction to the large amount of time we suddenly had and by a new reality where distance meant something very different than before. Although I had not seen him in person for almost 2 years, he was there for me in the only feasible way a person could be during that time. He was there through personal tragedies or minor irritations in an evolving and confused stretch of months. Sometimes we did not have much to say at all - I deferred to topics like what I cooked for dinner or we compared notes on the new show that we had just watched. I called him first when my pandemic furlough turned into a lost job. I called him first when l was chosen for my Executive Assistant position many months and numerous applications later. He texted me on my first day of remote work to wish me luck and he consoled me over video chat through my tears of frustration and defeat as I navigated the new reality of learning a remote position in the typically highly visual and highly performative art world to which I was accustomed. On one of these calls he told me that he had to go back home to Italy. There were many more months of having a friendship and possibly relationship in a state of limbo with this person who now knew me better than most. We had become close through untraditional means; it felt strange at times but then again so did everything else. He came back to the United States in January of 2021 and we have been dating ever since. Connection to others took on a new meaning during that year. How we interacted and who we kept in contact with changed. Speaking with him was something I looked forward to and it gave me a sense of routine. More importantly, our conversations provided a dose of levity and joy to each day throughout a very tumultuous year. -
2020-09-16
Sarah's kite
When things started to slowly open up after Melbourne's stage 4 lockdown we started to have a few more options for meeting outside. I wasn't able to see anyone during the hard 6 week lockdown as I didn't have any friends within my 5km radius whom I could meet with and get home again within an hour. When these restrictions eased a little I was able to meet my friend Sarah at the beach. She had bought a kite during lockdown because she was bored and had always wanted to try flying a kite. She even wrote in to the ABC Live Blog to ask if flying a kite was acceptable as outdoor exercise. This is her with her kite. -
2020-08-24
Aerobics Oz Style
During Melbourne stage 4 lockdown we were limited to only 1 hour of exercise outdoors each day. I usually do significantly more than this so was looking for activities to do in my very small apartment. Channel 10 released via their app a whole bunch of old Aerobics Oz Style videos from the 90s so I started doing those. This is a picture of Anton, who I remembered from watching the program occasionally as a child. -
2020-07-22
Online dance classes
Trying to pivot to online dance classes. Pulled my very old ballet shoes out to try to keep up with classes during Melbourne's long lockdown in 2020. Sadly it didn't really work due to a lack of space and the fact that I have carpeted floors, but it was nice to be able to connect with friends and feel like we were doing something together. -
2020
Neighbourhood walks
Some pictures of my local neighbourhood walks within my 5km radius of Albert Park, Prahran and South Yarra. Some cute and creative things that people did to brighten other peoples' walks. All taken during the long lockdown in Melbourne between August and December 2020. -
2021-08-14
F$%K COVID cookie
I bought two of these cookies to take to my friend's house when I went to visit her under the 'single bubble' program during Melbourne's lockdown 6. They're from a store called Mad About Cake in Caulfield South. -
2020-04-30
Greece: Coronavirus threatens fate of abandoned dogs
Athens, Greece – As a nationwide lockdown enters its second month in Greece, animal rescue groups and shelters have become overwhelmed with the number of strays piling up in their facilities. Although dog adoption in central Athens and other urban city centres continues, as some seek companionship in the form of pets during the lockdown, international dog adoption from Greece to countries across Europe and the US has come to a standstill. A lack of resources means that shelters have been forced to stop taking in new strays, leading to more dogs on the street. It also means more dogs continuing to breed in the wild, which again increases the number of strays. Even before the coronavirus pandemic changed the nature of dog adoption in Greece, more dogs were being abandoned because people could no longer afford them and also due to a hunting culture. -
2021-08-11
First day of school
While many on my social media feed are in arms about tighter vaccine regulations, some realize that the pandemic is not over. As the new school year starts there are many mothers who share in my fear. Covid is still alive and well, new strains continue to form breeding in the bodies of the unvaccinated. The worse part is that this time the elderly seem much safer than our children. Our children are being sent back to school, life has returned to "normal" as the number of hospitalized children continues to rise. I share my fears with this friend who popped up on my feed this morning. Will our kids be safe? Will my daughter get infected? Will there be another lockdown? I too feel like it's become too much to ask for my kids to simply be happy and healthy because both now depend on the actions (or misactions) of others. -
2020-03-09
the offer of hope
I took this photo at LAX on March 9, 2020. My father died suddenly the evening before. The Coronavirus was beginning to change our daily lives. Little did I know that this trip would be the last for many months. Each day offers us a chance for a new beginning. I hope we remember the lives lost. I hope we remember the quiet beauty of an empty city. I hope we remember the gratitude we felt for all the doctors, nurses, service workers, delivery drivers, teachers and frontline workers. I hope we remember the creative outlets we found. For all the missed birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, barbeques and gatherings, I hope we now embrace one another in the joy of each new day. -
2021-07-23
Lockdown in Southern Arizona
The nature of the lockdown experience varies according to many factors, including geographical location. In talking with friends and families in other parts of the country and the world, I’ve learned that going through lockdown in southern Arizona is different than going through lockdown in other places due to our unique climate. When we were first sent home in March 2020, I was thrilled because the spring in the desert is beautiful; during previous years, I was stuck in an office building. Now I could work outside! How great! This feeling of elation gradually changed to one of dread as the long Arizona summer came into being. In southern Arizona, we’re used to being in lockdown to a degree. When the temperatures are 100+ degrees outside during our long summer, many of us hibernate inside our houses. However, we do leave the house in the morning to go to work and are able to work in an air-conditioned building during the day, which mitigate some of the difficulties. Not so during the lockdown. I was basically chained to my house, a situation that was extremely difficult and detrimental to my mental health. I wasn’t going to the office, I couldn’t walk around the block, I couldn’t have an outside party with friends or neighbors. Cabin fever definitely set in. In addition, my internet access was disrupted by the heat and/or the torrential monsoon rains, which left me even more isolated. The spring, fall, and winter lockdown in southern Arizona were fabulous in that I was able to enjoy the outdoors more than when I was in the office; the summer lockdown (almost half the year) was a harsh lockdown. -
2020-05-25
First Hug in Months
My family and I have always been really close, meeting for family days as often as we can. Family gatherings will begin and end with hugs. When the pandemic started, we ensured that we isolated from everyone, even each other, as we all live in separate households and my father and sister have autoimmune diseases, and I have asthma and two heart conditions. Basically, Covid-19 was dangerous for all of us and we were afraid not only to contract it, but even more so to possibly give it to each other. While we would talk over Google Duo and Zoom, it honestly was not the same as getting to interact in person. There is huge importance and one could even say power in human contact, in human touch. It can be something that inflicts pain or reassurance. In this case, I lost the reassurance of hugs and seeing my family in person. The first time I hugged my older sister after lockdown started was about three months after lockdown began. We had both been isolated for weeks without symptoms and without having gone anywhere, and we had both tested negative for it. It had been the longest time I have gone without hugging her. I cried. -
2020-07-16
How Have Pet Birds Been Affected by Covid-19?
Northern Parrots, a bird blog and store in the UK, writes that pet owners are worried that their feathered babies could contract COVID-19. All the evidence shows that is highly unlikely. The blog post also mentions that birds are also affected by lockdown and quarantine in both positive and negative ways. One positive is that their owners are spending more time at home. On the flip side, favorite friends and visitors aren't coming to visit, and sometimes it is hard to find the foods they want. The article mentions Madeira cake, but in my personal experience it was often difficult to find fresh organic produce for awhile. The article goes on to talk about parrot conservation during the pandemic, particularly in Central America. There are fears that people out of work may turn to poaching as a resource for quick cash. Also a beloved ornithologist, Luis Fernando Díaz Chávez, who was important to Paso Pacifico's conservation efforts passed away from COVID-19. -
2021-06-18
Air and land travel suspended to Arequipa, Peru
My mother-in-law has been here since last February (2020). She came for a visit from Peru and got stuck by the pandemic. She's traveling home July 1st, but Arequipa, Peru just initiated another lockdown. There's no land or air travel into Arequipa starting June 21 and lasting at least 15 days. Essentially, she'll get to Lima, Peru, and have to wait until she can travel. We considered postponing her return, but the changes in airfare are prohibitively expensive. Also, I'm pretty sure she's more than ready to get home after such an extended stay. The reason for the lockdown is the high mortality rate in Arequipa. -
2020-03-18
How Will COVID-19 Change the World? Historian Frank Snowden on Epidemics From the Black Death to Now
This video is an interview the Democracy Now did with Frank Snowden, Professor Emeritus at Yale University early on in the pandemic (March 18, 2020). Dr. Snowden specializes in the history of epidemic diseases and the history of modern Italy. His father was the first African American ambassador to Italy. At the time of the interview, Dr. Snowden was in lockdown in Rome, Italy. He had gone there to research another project when the pandemic hit, so he changed his focus to studying covid-19. He contracted the disease himself, but was lucky enough to live through it. I was particularly interested in Dr. Snowden's views on the pandemic since I had watched his Yale lecture series on epidemics available on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3AE7B3B6917DE8E6) which was incredible in its thorough exploration of some of the worlds worst outbreaks. In the interview he states that an early modern Florentine would recognize a lot of governments' actions to combat covid-19 as very similar to those used by the Italian city-states and elsewhere in Europe to combat bubonic plague, especially the concept of quarantine. He also addresses the startling commonality between anti-Semitism during the first several plague outbreaks to the Sinophobia and xenophobia seen during our current pandemic. The interviewer also brings up a great question about the possibility of fascism arising out of strict government measures to combat disease. I was particularly curious to hear Dr. Snowden's response in light of the protests in the United States against quarantine and mask-wearing. He acknowledged that while it could be one outcome, it is not the only nor the most probable possibility. Many governments have voluntarily ended their strict measures during pandemics without devolving into fascist states. Now that the pandemic is, it seems, waning I believe it is abundantly clear that those Americans who feared that their freedoms were threatened by historically proven practices were both selfish and foolish. They and our ineffective and dangerous leadership cause the United States to become a hotbed for Covid-19, while other countries who swiftly enacted and enforced lockdown measures and mask mandates, such as New Zealand and Italy, recovered much more quickly. I contend that Donald Trump and his sheep are responsible for thousands of unnecessary deaths. -
2020-05-01
Social Distancing - Self Distancing
When the Covid-19 pandemic caused New York City to go into lockdown the second week of March, it never once crossed my mind how large of an impact this shutdown would have in my personal life. In the picture below I show a poem I wrote during the sixth month of quarantine: My days felt like they were going on a loop. Everyday felt like a continuation of the day before and my mind was tired of it. In my poem I expressed that I felt like a bird that crashes on the windshield of a car, signaling the repetitiveness of my life in my small NYC apartment. I think that this time was one of the most difficult times for my mental health and I tried desperately to find a way of coping. Essentially, this poem represents the mental state I found myself in trying to find different ways to deal with the fact that life had paused abruptly and that nothing was certain anymore. One of the ways that I found myself doing a lot during this time was sleeping. I began to get worried when one day I woke up at 4pm and felt as if I had woken up at 9am. I knew my sleep schedule was a disaster, but I think that this represents how monotone life felt. On another hand, I think that the lockdown served as an opportunity to reorganize my priorities and discover new likes and dislikes. Since I had recently changed my major from Biology to English, this time helped me realize how much I enjoy writing and learning about other writers and their work. I never thought I would enjoy my major as much as I am enjoying it, especially since I can dedicate more time on it thanks to the spare time staying at home gives me. I think that this poem will benefit future historians in their study of the effects the COVID-19 lockdown on people’s mental health. Specifically, historians will be able to be exposed to the anxiety the world felt knowing that there was little we could do to reverse the effects the lockdown was having in our mental stability. Basically, historians will be able to analyze how much the pandemic affected us beyond the physical aspect but the detrimental effects it held against our mental health. All in all, COVID-19 surely fits the line by Charles Dickens, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. -
2020-04-01
Forbidden Things: Benches, Parks, Buttons, Swings
When the coronavirus pandemic caused severe lock downs to be put in place in March and April of 2020 throughout Queensland, local councils and other entities were quick to put up signs of warning about the virus and what actions had been banned as a consequence of it. These photos were taken between the 1st and the 11th of April 2020, generally while participating in the allowed activity of exercising outdoors, once per day. In those early days, the prevailing advice that was shared, and reflected in these photographs, was that the virus could be easily spread through touching shared surfaces (as opposed to airborne transmission). Therefore there was a focus on warning people not to touch or use certain objects in public places, and many previously bustling public spaces such as dog off leash parks were closed to the public. Now, as of April 2021, the advice is quite different, and the "don't push the button: pedestrian crossing now automated" stickers have been removed from many crossings. I took these photos at the time because I felt it was important to document some of the things I saw during the pandemic (that were a direct consequence of the pandemic). This is because it is easy to forget things that occurred or to have flawed memories of events that decay further over time. At the time I found (and still find) the photos to be eerie and unsettling, the familiar world around me changed in a way that I had not experienced before. -
2021-04-07
Covid-19 Alberta Data
This website is the official COVID-19 data tracker for the province of Alberta, this one in particular covers the increase of cases in Alberta on April the 7th, the increase in cases mirrored Ontario’s own massive outbreak of 3,000 new cases. Because of this, it is becoming more and more apparent that Alberta will be forced into another lockdown or at least a return to ‘step 1’ reopening restrictions. More and more Albertans are suffering from lockdown fatigue, and there is blatant unrest as many are becoming fed up with the constant opening and reopening, returning to step one – there has not been a decisive ‘win’ over the pandemic and many would point the government’s inaction to prove this. In regards to my small town of Cochrane Alberta, some businesses are stating that they will not shut-down with the return to step 1 or a renewed lockdown. Largely, they are stating that a lockdown would further gut small businesses which have suffered immensely from these restrictions – stating that smaller businesses have been largely left out to dry without provincial aid, while larger corporations continue to operate. Many of these larger businesses have operated throughout the pandemic while smaller businesses have been forced to shut their doors. On top of this, the same penalties apply to these larger stores, there have been large congested crowds lining up outside of such stores such as Ikea, or Wal-Mart; a condition which would result in a deathly fine if it were given to smaller businesses; but for these international corporations, these fines are nothing. While I’m personally in favor of lockdowns, it is hard to ignore the leniency given to these major corporations and the harm to these smaller businesses. Fore mostly we must protect human life by preventing the spread of COVID-19, yet we must also provide sufficient financial aid to these businesses; while also adjusting penalties to actually hurt these mega-corps when they break pandemic restrictions. However under a government which prides itself on austerity and corporate tax cuts, this will not happen. The attached image is the spike in cases on the 7th.