Hey all! What are you doing this week? Me, well I had planned my first getaway from Melbourne since April when I visited Bendigo for my Nan’s 100^th birthday celebrations. Last Friday, 29^th of October they flung the border between Melbourne and regional Victoria open as we were due to hit the 80% double vaxxed target that I’ve talked about previously on that day. We actually we just shy of it and it occurred on the Saturday but that was when they had committed to opening up, and so Victoria did.

And I had taken leave this week to go away to regional Victoria, and it was all working out very well. And then I woke on Saturday morning to an email informing me there was a Covid case where I work and I had been there on the days in question and had to isolate for seven days. Yes. Freedom was not for me!

But it could be worse. I mean, for starters, they have just changed the isolation requirements. It was 14 days but now it is 7 days, for the double vaccinated. And with a bit of luck I can take my leave next week and reboot the plans. You do a day one test which I did on Saturday and that was negative. Then today (Thursday) I have done another test and wait on that result. I don’t think I’m much danger, I didn’t have direct contact with the person in question. And most importantly I am lucky because I don’t have corona (as far as I know), and of course I am worried for the person with it.

So what was a week I was really looking forward too has turned into a week inside. It’s tougher than lockdown because in lockdown I can at least exercises for an hour or more a day. I can’t even go for a walk and the only reason I can leave the house is to get tested. I’ve spent the week doing online surveys and watching videos of how to make money online – sadly none of the videos has really given me a light bulb moment though.

As we open up though we have seen scenes from Sydney Airport of people finally returning home. International flights HAVE recommenced, and I believe very soon tourists from Singapore will be able to visit Australia, with more to follow hopefully by the end of the year as the tourist industry here is on its knees. By the end of November Victoria should have over 90% of people 12 and over (as opposed to 16 and over as has been previous goals) doubled vaxxed and mostly returned to normal for those who have been vaccinated. For those not vaccinated though, they look to remain outside of society sadly for a good deal of time yet.

I don’t want to jinx myself, but I am looking at some tentative plans for a short trip probably to South-East Asia at some point next year. Tossing up a few possibilities. Thailand is opening soon to Australians, so are parts of Indonesia including Bali (been visited by almost every Australian bar me thus far, but hey I should probably see what all the fuss is about, right??) and Singapore is on cusp in the next week or two of opening up as well to Australians.

We will see. I may retreat to safety though and keep it to domestic travel for another year. And it’s not a fear really of catching the virus, although it’s altogether possible, its more about disruptions and isolations like the one I’m in right now. But for fully vaccinated Australians now there is no isolation/quarantine if you return from overseas, not even seven days.

Cases have fallen dramatically in New South Wales, getting less than 200 a day, and in Victoria we have fallen to under 1000 a day for the first time in two months, although it remains to be seen if that holds. If this week has learned me anything, it’s that although there is hope, Corona Virus remains an ever present threat to people’s heath, lives and freedoms.

Thanks for popping by today! Take care and May the Journey Never End!