Well August is here and Sydney cases are out of control. Feels like for days it has been 200-300 cases a day in Sydney with at least 50 people infectious in the community during that time. Although there is lip service to the idea of trying to get back to 0 cases in the community so we can end lockdown (currently supposed to end in Sydney at the end of August after 9 weeks) really the strategy has now switched to getting people vaccinated as quickly as possible. No-one believes we will get back to 0 easily but we are hoping some restrictions may be lifted at the end of August. NSW is aiming for 6 million doses by end of August and 10 million people fully vaccinated asap. Astra Zeneca is now being given to anybody who wants it – all the guidelines seem to have been thrown out of the window. People can get vaccinated at chemists, there are walk-in vaccine places and even some drive through ones opening up. Already there is talk of vaccine passports, mandatory vaccine status in some workplaces. In France you can’t eat in a restaurant or cafe unless you have been vaccinated. The areas where the most cases are have harsher restrictions, like masks outside, 5km radius for exercise, and only leave the LGA for work if they are an essential worker. The construction industry was shut down for a few weeks but huge pressure led to it opening up then under certain restrictions. Those in the worse affected LGAs will be able to go back to work only if they are fully vaccinated. So the upside is that vaccination rates are rapidly climbing. The downside is that hospitality, retail and so many other businesses are just suffering so badly I really can’t see how they will survive. There are so many for lease signs everywhere. It is heartbreaking. The government financial support has come in fast for workers, but hardly anyone I know in business has received anything 6 weeks into the lockdown. I guess it will arrive eventually. I am thinking that this is the new normal, this is what life is going to be like for a really long time. Life will be changed forever in many ways. The impact of this virus will be felt for generations to come – even just paying for all the costs associated with testing, vaccinating and supporting people financially.  Many people think we will be in some form of restrictions until at least Xmas. And it is not just Sydney. Delta snuck out to Newcastle when a young person from Sydney broke the rules and went to a party at a beach in Swansea. It has also popped up in Orange and Armidale. Victoria also has gone into a state wide lockdown to try and stem the cases that have popped up there. Same with QLD and now Cairns.