I saw ‘Hamilton’ at the Lyric Theatre last week. The fact Sydney was deemed the only safe place on the planet to host Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway juggernaut felt strangely important.
Like we were proving to everyone else: this pandemic will pass. Here’s what normality looks like. Doing enjoyable things like taking Mum to ‘Hamilton’ for her birthday.
You can see it on the train, where most people have taken off their masks and it’s getting hard to find a seat again in the morning peak.
You can see it at Parramatta Square, whose new gelato and hamburger joints now buzz into the evening.
And you can see it in the Sydney CBD, where pedestrians have taken over George Street.
There are suddenly new bars and hole-in the-wall cafes and even people riding the light rail.
Meetings that were once Zoom calls are still Zoom calls – for the most part. But increasingly, as a special treat, they are being held in person, with smiles, handshakes and cups of coffee.
And this past Easter, Christian congregations across Parramatta – including our sizeable Maronite, Chinese and Korean communities – worshipped together during the holiest time of year.
Sydney is coming back. Parramatta will, too. The pandemic could set us back any moment. Last weekend, Bluesfest in Byron Bay was called off due to a couple of small clusters in Brisbane. But just imagine – a major festival that was due to attract 50,000 people nearly happened! Next year it will.
Our state’s COVID health response wasn’t always the gold standard. For too long, we weren’t on top of screening at our airports and ports. Looking back, it’s clear our authorities learned huge lessons from early disasters such as the Ruby Princess and tragic aged care deaths at Newmarch House.
Since then, we’ve gained new appreciation of the special vulnerability of hotel quarantine. Our state has had sporadic outbreaks but we’ve mopped them up and managed them. It’s been a whole-of-government and community effort, with particular kudos to our champion contact tracers and NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant.
Alas, in an inverse result to our successful handling of the pandemic, it’s also become clear the vaccine rollout has been botched.
The United States vaccinated 100 million people in eight weeks. The United Kingdom did 25 million in three months. Here in Australia, only 600,000 doses have been administered (well short of our target of four million) – including just half of the nation’s residents in aged care.
What’s the reason Australians have been pushed to the back of the line?
Take your pick. Supply shortages from Europe. Slow therapeutic approvals. Defective contracts. And a distribution process that, instead of relying on mass vaccination sites, has stressed our already overworked GPs.
In some ways, it’s all good. The vaccines are safe but it’s clear from conversations that many are still cautious about taking them. Yet without a mass vaccine program, there can be no protection from further lockdowns. No true economic recovery. No global travel. Key sectors such as international education will remain in the doldrums. And tens of thousands of our compatriots will struggle to get home.
Australia’s position as the safest place in the world rings hollow if it’s only achieved because our borders are shut.
It’s time to vaccinate our way out of the pandemic. So there can be more Hamiltons – and more life.
Alan is a journalist and communications specialist. He writes a weekly column for Parra News.