It seemed for a moment there we were through it: Covid was in retreat and the world was returning to normal. Just last weekend, in fact.
I flew to Melbourne with the family. Yes, masks were required in the airports and on the plane, but there was no virus, not in the community, nowhere in Australia. Our daughter stayed in the CBD to see her friends, my wife and I went on to Queenscliffe and Point Lonsdale, to the the literary festival.
And what a wonderful event it was! Such a good turn out, such good questions from the audience. Fellow crime writer Christian White was meant to ‘in convo’ withme, but he was forced to pull out. The excellent Sarah L’ Estrange from Radio National stepped into the breach and did just the best job. All was good.
We had the best time at Queenscliffe and Point Lonsdale, the same with our daughter in Melbourne. Only after we were back in Canberra did the news break: the virus had escaped quarantine once again. And now Victoria is in lockdown once again.
And the literary festival? It’s been forced to postpone its final weekend. Such a pity. But with a little luck, it can resume once lockdown is over and the virus is back in the box. I highly recommend it to any Victorians: such a beautiful place, such a good program.
As for me, I’ve already had the jab. Hopefully more and more Australians will now also get vaccinated. Maybe that’s the the silver lining of this latest outbreak: it will overcome hesitancy and get people inoculated. Then we really can return to normal!