Moving from Queensland to Canberra amid the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a more difficult adventure than I originally foresaw.
After experiencing my fourth lockdown in South-East Queensland, under the watchful eye of Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk, I had the bright idea that moving to Canberra would be a safe bet.
After all, there had been no cases in the ACT for over a year … right?
Oh, how the Universe likes to play funny games when the very week I landed my dream job, the ACT announced a community case was found locally and it was going into a harsh lockdown.
Lucky me; lockdown number five here I come.
Having experienced lockdowns across two different sets of borders, I’ve made some observations around human behaviour that I’ve found quite interesting.
The difference in compliance rates between the sunshine state and the ACT have completely shocked me.
Don’t get me wrong, my home state of Queensland has done an excellent job of stamping out the virus and has had great mask-wearing, QR scanning and social distancing compliance rates.
But, since the first day I arrived here, I’ve been genuinely shocked at how well Canberrans have been sticking to the rules.
I haven’t seen a single person not wearing a mask in public yet, every time I walk down to grab a coffee from my local everyone stands at least three metres apart, and there’s always a line-up to scan in at the nearby supermarket.
I’ve even observed people wearing their masks while they’ve been driving alone in their own cars!
My working theory is that after so many lockdowns and mandatory mask mandates extending for months on end, Queenslanders are now suffering from what experts are calling ‘lockdown fatigue’.
To be fair, Queensland’s never had it as bad as the likes of Victoria’s consecutive lockdowns, but they’ve definitely had their fair share of challenges.
Towards the end of the last lockdown, I saw fewer and fewer mask wearers, far fewer people were QR scanning, and there was a general feeling of weariness that I’m afraid will only increase as time wears on.
Canberrans, on the other hand, have had the privilege of being somewhat exempt from such extreme measures, until now.
The whole of the ACT should feel very proud of the way everyone has been sticking together and following the rules for the safety of the whole Territory.
Even the police have been impressed by the community effort with ACT Policing COVID-19 Taskforce Superintendent Naomi Binstead thanking Canberrans for their high compliance with the public health directions.
“Most people are doing the right thing, and I think it’s super important to acknowledge our incredible community effort during this lockdown,” she said.
It seems the biggest issue for police has been detecting non-Canberrans trying to enter the Territory without the appropriate exemptions or permission to do so.
“Anyone who has not followed instructions of both ACT and NSW health authorities will be ordered to leave the ACT or sent home and may be prosecuted,” Superintendent Binstead said.
So, from my experience as newbie to the ACT, all Canberrans should feel very proud of the way you’re handling this lockdown and I’m optimistic the high compliance rates will continue for a while to come.
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