THE Olympics may be over, but herculean efforts are continuing.
And they’re happening right on our doorstep.
We are the last line of defence against the NSW COVID crisis, and the burden placed on the shoulders of our cross-border community is extraordinary.
The memories of NSW locking out Victoria during the peak of 2020s COVID outbreak are fresh in the minds of all of us.
So at 6pm last night — when Victoria’s new cross-border permit system began — we weren’t stepping up to the plate at peak fitness.
Instead we were exhausted, sore and emotional. What we desperately needed was a break, not another round.
But here we are, with another administrative hurdle that we have to jump every 14 days just to live our lives.
And the hurdle is not insignificant. Many members of our community don’t have reliable internet access, or don’t have the greatest computer literacy.
To them, going through the permit process can be frustrating and embarrassing.
I am a Gen Y professional woman who uses a computer every day.
I have an IT team on hand to trouble-shoot anything that comes up, and an office full of tech savvy millennials.
You would think with those advantages, I would know something by now. But no.
As I write this, I still don’t know how to send a gif by SMS. All I want is a computer that lets me type, and a phone that says “ring ring”.
So, by necessity, my very patient team has become very good at providing IT advice.
If you need any help at all in navigating the permit system, please give us a call on 5021 2828.
We know we can survive this, but we are angry that we have to.
We are entitled to feel the anger, but don’t forget the hope.
Our government and health experts have said that by Christmas, most Australians will be vaccinated.
This — we hope — will change the game in terms of restrictions and border lockdowns.
The Prime Minister famously said vaccination was not a race. But it is a race.
When you are eligible to get vaccinated – do it.
