scrubbedexpat098

considering that the op was enquiring as to people's well being, absolutely agree. There are very few posts on this part of the forum that don't descent into kissing contests though, it's a shame really. How are you going?

Beoz

Yes just like in post 474.

If you would like to talk about how you are coping or shooting the breeze about a topic related, go for it.

I played golf again this morning. That's 7 times in the past week and a half. Sadly my game is getting worse. That's not the way it's supposed to work. It seems I am better of playing once a year.

old.sparkles

Hope all is still going well with you

Still working here, and going into work as my work can't be done remotely. Some products are quiet, and some are busier than normal, so think we'll weather this storm

Uni has gone remote and I'm not so happy with that but I'll get over it. And some of the restrictions on shopping are a pain - can't get all we need in one visit so having to shop two or three times a week.

Probably most worried about family in the UK. My niece's boyfriend and his parent's have had it. A cleaner where my daughter works is in hospital with it. Three other staff / students where she is have it as well as some of their family members. A good friend and ex-colleague has it fairly badly, and his wife has it too. Sum total - I know of eleven people in the UK who have or had C19 and as far as I know, only one has been tested and that was the cleaner admitted to hospital.

Dmorgan07

I'm doing ok thank you. I've lost a lot of hours at work but in a weird way it's been good because I'm spending lots of quality time with my family. I started work the same week I arrived 2 years ago and have not really had much time off since so this forced holiday has been great 😂 Lots of eating, board games and video games, and reminding myself there is lots to be thankful for when so many are struggling.

How are you doing? I got the sort of gist from your earlier post that you are a teacher? How are you getting on with all the online stuff? I'm a kindy teacher so no online for me 😂

Kim67

Great to hear you're doing okay.

We are doing the same, barbecues, board games, listening to music.

I work in admin for two music schools. We have students from 6 months and converting to online for the early childhood classes has been tricky but we're all doing our best to make it work. A lot of stay at home mum's use their children's extra curricular activities as a way to stay in touch with other people. The parents have been really supportive about giving online a go as they're keen to support small businesses. Fortunately our Director is quite attractive and charismatic so mum's are keen to still see him, even if it's virtually. 🤣

carcajou

Western Australia has published some traffic road counts from Good Friday:

FORREST HIGHWAY (road to Bunbury and the South West):
2020 - 2,015
2019 - 22,280

INDIAN OCEAN DRIVE (road to Jurien Bay and Geraldton):
2020 - 471
2019 - 5,301

So, a 90.1% drop in road traffic on Good Friday out of Perth (though, it wasn't clarified if this was outbound traffic, or two-way traffic).

BUT from the regional perspective it's a double-edged issue - stopping the traffic out of Perth is one thing, but also regional people slipping into Perth for the long weekend and then coming back is the other shoe. Great news if this is two-way traffic.

Anecdotally, and I hope these aren't famous last words that I'm typing, West Australians seem to mostly be doing the right thing. I haven't come across talk of packed beaches in the regions or loud house parties over the weekend, and certainly traffic near me is down quite a bit. I think the penny dropped here when the regional lockdowns were announced. Since then - I'm on a very large property on a quiet road, but still a road that gets a truck or car or caravan coming by every few minutes - since regional lockdown though, I can walk along my boundary fence to the end and back (about a 20 minute walk) without a single vehicle going by and thensome. The Gray Nomad hire caravans that a few weeks ago were ignoring restrictions and continuing holidays, and causing so much angst at the local government and shire council level, to the point that the state government was asked to intervene to help get them out, have gone. I think I've seen one in the past 2 weeks. Local hotels and b and b's near me are empty. Most are run by locals and voluntarily closed a few weeks ago.

Even though everyone is well aware how much economically it is hurting, there is significant peer and social pressure in the regions to comply with lockdown restrictions to get the situation under control.

Only one case that was not cruise ship related, each day for three days in a row.

Different circumstances here than over East, Beoz mentioned that lots of people went away in NSW, the NSW police commissioner was saying the same thing in the media this morning.

Dmorgan07

My two lads do guitar lessons and they asked if we wanted to switch to online. I feel awful to say that we said we'd just wait till things open up again. Not that we didn't think the lessons would be worth it but financially things are just too tight for us at the moment. It's nice to hear that so many are keeping up with the lessons tho, it is definitely really worth it. As soon as it reopens we will find the money from somewhere and start them back up again

Dmorgan07

Wishing your family speedy recoveries. Fingers crossed none of my family or friends have come down with it as of yet, but I'm very anxious about it- the situation is very sketchy back home, they clearly dont have a good handle on things there do they?

Pollyana

BWS are still delivering alcohol so I can survive between shifts!! I admit to having a large pre--lockdown stash of loo paper as I need the hypoallergenic stuff which is often hard to find so I buy that in normal circumstances whenever I see it As for food, I have been rationing myself to one meal a day when off-shift to avoid having to spend my day off sat on the floor in a shopping centre.
Thinking outside the box is good - all these food kit services have special sign up offers - would never pay full price but with some mix & match a cheap HelloFresh order can be used for decent meals! Cheese companies in Tassie are selling by mail, not too pricey and its great cheese Chemist Warehouse & Pharmacy Direct etc deliver to the door, and ebay is an endless source for a multitude of stuff.


As far as the wider world goes - we are still working from HQ, they want the Qld disaster centre manned as long as possible, though they have warned people to say if they have any symptoms, want to work from home etc. We are still dealing with severe weather events, house fires, grass fires etc, the normal work of emergency services gues on regardless. We were originally warned this heightened state of affairs could go on till October/November, and apart from one optimistic 25 year old who has booked himself a trip to Canada in November everyone else has cancelled any leave for up to a year ahead. I'm certainly not expecting to see home for the next 3-4 years. The word on the street is such that when anyone mentions going abroad we get shot down in flames and told that is the way to finish the country off. Personally I fear even interstate border restrictions could be here to stay, never mind the way they want to control us going abroad.
Starting to hate the racist attitude which is surfacing in many places here - like the comment I got today that everyone in the UK "would soon be dead " because its those "dirty immigrants you keep letting in, they don't get it themselves, they just spread it to everyone else"- this guy has long said that all migration to Aus should be stopped and we should all be sent home, now he is going one step further and he is a supposedly well-educated bloke

spouse of scouse

You shouldn't feel bad about cancelling the kids' lessons, we all have to what we can to balance the finances. It'll be something for them to look forward to when things ease up a bit

Pollyana

Sadly many thread on here in the last few years have disintegrated for exactly the reasons you mention With peope now turning to the internet more I'm hoping this could be the saving of the Barbie, as long as we stick it out anddon't rise to the bait of the constant arguments of left v right, Perth v Sydney etc

Lets make the Aus forum the supportive place it used to be

scrubbedexpat098

spouse of scouse

Hi Sparkles, I'm glad to hear that you still have your job and the company looks like it'll survive I hope young Sparks is doing ok.

Things are pretty crook in the UK right now aren't they, it's hard not to worry about your family and friends. I tried to get online grocery deliveries to the in-laws in Liverpool, both early 70s with some health problems, but it was impossible. They're ok now, one of their daughters has been furloughed so is getting them whatever they need. She said the 80% wage subsidy is working out fine for her, she spends a lot on transport to get to work so there's not much difference in the amount she gets now. Bit of a blessing really because she can take care of her mum and dad.

Pollyana

Hope they all come through ok.

My sister and her family are all very close-knit, which is just as well with 2 girls in their 20s, locked in the house with their parents and now jobless and penniless. My mum (mid 80s, very high risk with chest and heart issues) is just downthe road, hasn't been out for weeks, the local cafe are doing food deliveries to her, and even wait to check she comes out to collect the food ok. Sister and family pop round and cht from a distance over the back fence and level suppies for her to take in. Tis a worrying situation though.
And my best friend (anyone remember Bernieboy?) is a nurse in an intensive care ward. That scares me witless.

Dmorgan07

Really glad to hear that you are managing to get some things delivered to you in various forms 😂

Thankfully I haven't heard any outright racist comments as of yet. As people become more tense and fed up they start looking to blame others and I suspect people's nastiness will come out.