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Most employers are turning their minds towards the mental health of their workers as many of us continue in pandemic lockdowns.
Many folk are suffering admittedly First World problems, searching the streaming services like Netflix or Stan desperate to find something they might have overlooked.
My country town in Victoria has a number of tier one hotspots from actual cases which has spooked us all.
Many of us are loathe to poke our heads out the front door in fear of catching the virus - I wonder how Delta Goodrem feels about lending her name to this latest mutation.
Oh well, could be someone much less famous like me next. The Chris variant, not the same fear factor there.
We have had groceries delivered to the front door because we are too worried about going out in public.
The driver was instructed to leave the grocery bags at the front door and beat a hasty retreat.
Brave soul that I am, I volunteered to open the front door, mask in place, collect the bags and unload their contents on the kitchen bench.
Then a swimming pool's worth of hand sanitiser was applied to my hands, the door handles and so on.
It took a few hours before anyone was game to come close. Obviously I often pretended to sneeze for good measure - Dads are allowed moments of dark humour.
Victoria lockdown 4.0 sadly impacted on the ability of my children to attend their grandfather's funeral. I will always regret that.
Lockdown 5.0 means we have had to cancel a birthday party, again a First World problem, but sad all the same.
There are many in our little community who are primary contacts of COVID-19 cases and are in full quarantine, so much tougher for all of them.
Millions are worrying about their jobs, paying the bills, health of their loved ones - tough times for many.
Local businesses are trying to put on a brave face.
Pitching for local support through home deliveries and such.
Sadly some of our country manners have been lost, fear can do that.
People walking with their children and dogs while not wearing masks have become targets on local social media posts.
Questions about two hour exercise limits, five kilometres from home restrictions - neighbours are suddenly suspicious.
Peering through curtains has become an obsession for some.
That bloke seen at a supermarket refusing to wear a mask caused local outrage.
Why are those neighbours always backing their car out of their driveway? Where are they going? Don't they understand what a lockdown means?
I have seen suggestions homeowners should place a sign on their letterbox saying the occupants are all vaccinated and it's safe to approach.
Sort of like the old testament bible story about the Passover, where Jews seeking to be freed from slavery in Egypt were instructed to splash blood from a sacrificed lamb on their front door to escape plagues sent by God.
Given so few Australians have been able to get their two shots, it is hardly their fault if they haven't been vaccinated yet.
We saw in Victoria how quickly people were able to bounce back to a sort of normality after the big lockdown of 2020.
There is a sense of weariness and lockdown fatigue this time but again it is true that only together we can defeat this latest outbreak.
All the while knowing there will be more.
Stay strong people.
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