Adjusting to life under lockdown

• Published date: 15 October 2021

It has been a long 12 months in Melbourne for Gus Patterson.

The former Oamaru Mail reporter moved to Australia in November last year, going from New Zealand’s Level 1 freedoms lockdown, travel limits and mask mandates.

‘‘I found it quite strange, in terms of the restrictions,’’ Mr Patterson said.

‘‘I think it was the first time I saw everyone wearing masks — everyone was doing it. You had to get used to wearing masks outside, like whenever you left the house .’’

But later that month, restrictions started to ease, and life seemed to return to normal over summer. He went to the Boxing Day test match at the MCG, with crowds of up to 30,000 people, and started to enjoy the cultural scene Melbourne was famous for.

He even returned to New Zealand for a holiday when the travel bubble opened with Australia.

After a snap five-day lockdown in February, Melbourne was locked down again in late May and mid-July, both lockdowns lasting for two weeks. When Covid-19 cases started to spike again in August, ‘‘stay-at-home’’ orders were back and the city has remained in lockdown ever since.

For a lot of people, this year had been a lot tougher than last year, because they had not expected to be locked down for so much of it, he said.

‘‘It felt like we were on the other side of it and now we’re three months into an absolute grind of a lockdown.

‘‘It’s pretty tough ... everyone’s battling. No-one you talk to is absolutely loving life right now — it’s a bit s... all round.’’

Restrictions in Melbourne will ease once the vaccination rate gets to 70%, which is expected to be about October 26, and each state had a vaccine tracker to follow progress. If restrictions are lifted as expected, Victorians will have spent a total of 267 days in lockdown since March 2020.

While there was a light at the end of the tunnel, people were worn down and compliance with the strict restrictions was also waning, he said.

‘‘Last year, everyone was worried about having visitors over and stuff like that. Now, everyone’s breaking the rules to some extent.’’

Mr Patterson moved to Australia to join his partner, Abby Robinson, who had been working as a nurse at Melbourne’s Box Hill Hospital since February 2020.

When she started, she was nursing in the hospital’s stroke ward, but when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, it was turned into the Covid ward, and she has been in the thick of Covid nursing ever since.

The couple live in a flat in Richmond, with two other housemates. It was a nice place, but with travel...