So Sydney extended the initial one week lockdown to two weeks because of a second wave of cases from the Delta variant popping up in multiple locations.
Thankfully not our supermarket.
To be honest, Australia has had a track record of under reacting to Covid in general with the glacial vaccination rates and the no mask wearing stuff. Singapore's last lockdown went on for about four weeks followed by a super cautious re-opening.
Wow, did I just compare which country is more aggressive with lockdowns? That's just sad.
Anyway, while I think it's good to overreact in any Covid situation, I can also respect how the Australian government governs for the people. I think there was a quote from the NSW Premier that her government would do their best to avoid inconveniencing people with lockdowns or restrictions.
And that's all I have for this week's blog update.
We're at the halfway mark of the 14 day lockdown. Not sure if we're on track for lockdown to end with the cases still going up but we'll find out in the next couple of days.
Sarah and I joked that this lockdown was a good way for us to learn the suburbs in Sydney because nearly every suburb has a Covid warning. A is for Annandale, B is for Bondi, C is for Chatswood, D is for Double Bay, E is for Eastwood...
If you're interested in the Sydney lockdown rules (more like recommendations), here's a snapshot:
Four reasons to head out: 1) Get food, goods or services; 2) Travel for work or education if you can't do it at home; 3) Exercise outdoors in groups of 10 or fewer (relaxed much); 4) Medical care or compassionate needs
Dance and gym class limited to 20 per class (masks must be corn)
Mask mandatory for indoor settings only
Singing and dancing banned except at weddings for the bridal party only (no more than 20 people)
No interstate travel. Also, nobody wants to receive anyone from NSW at the moment
Either way, being seasoned lockdown people (surviving Circuit Breaker and all), we definitely made it work this week.
Making it Work #1: Lots of Food
Not panic buying. Just reasonably stocking up for the week.
Since we stocked up a ton of groceries for the week, we stayed indoors like responsible Aussie PRs and cooked a lot. Probably the most since we arrived. Plus, we managed to save quite a bit doing this so that was a win all around.
First time making Katsu. It was katsu-per nice.
First time making fried rice (Shocker). It was very rice.
Occasionally we stepped out to pick up food so we're not cooped up in our 1-bedroom apartment. Yes, we wore masks and so did almost everyone. Finally.
Hello mask, my old friend...
Unnecessarily spicy but legit Thai food.
Random closure signage on a Jap restaurant we drove to
Ordered in some cocktails to support local + surprise Sarah
Also, we drove out 20-minutes to pick up fancy donuts and ice cream. Felt good to be on the road again on a slightly long-ish drive.
Fancy Duo-nuts. We've had better unfortunately.
Making it Work #2: Putting in the Work
So Sarah finished up the beanie knitting project I gave her last Christmas which was such a milestone for her because I know how particular she is with getting the stitches right (She is extremely particular).
Everyone, this is called a Seed Stitch. Knit one, purl one.
Say what! A super legit looking beanie!
You could never tell that beanie was handmade! It's awesome! What was even more awesome was the amount of prep work she did for two interview rounds which she cleared (Obviously. Pfft.). I'll leave that to her to talk about it another time.
Making it Work #3: Exercise
I also hit a major exercise milestone this week for 365 consecutive days of hitting my 590 calorie goal on my Apple Watch. That's everyday for an entire year rain or shine across Chinese New Year, Christmas, birthdays, lockdowns, migrating, quarantine and still managing to get my calorie count.
Thankfully the building we live in has a transit level on the sixth floor with a pretty open garden so that became our running route since it's not open to the general public and therefore a safer Covid environment to be out and about.
We also stepped out today for a short walk near around our neighbourhood and picked up coffee and food for a nearby cafe because the weather outside was perfect so that was nice.
One week of lockdown done! I don't see this as some sad joke going from one lockdown in Singapore to another country's lockdown. We did have some time in between to go out for meals and explore the region a little. Covid second waves are kinda expected in most countries plus the lockdown rules are not super strict.
Call me optimistic (Which is rare) but I'm hopeful that the lockdown will run it's course in two weeks and not more. And even if it does, it really is just a detour (Photo reference below for impactful ending) in the grand scheme of things where lockdown will eventually end and we'll be back on track.
One more week to go. Let's see how this goes, hopefully in the right direction.
Comments