20 March 2020
There’s no point in living by the beach, if you’re not going to make the most of it. Especially when it reaches 36 degrees+ and you’re newly unemployed.
Today was all about living by the ocean. Early morning gym (irresponsible I know, but I am careful) was followed by a run up and down Manly beach and a snorkel at The Bower.
We avoided civilisation for much of the day. No social media and no supermarket visits. It was only when we visited our local pub – Four Pines – for happy hour, that we noticed things were starting to change. The bottom floor of the establishment was closed entirely and upstairs was being measured to ensure that the new rules that had been implemented that afternoon were adhered too:
“While indoor gatherings of fewer than 100 people are still allowed, the new guidelines say there needs to be at least four square metres available for every person in the area”. (ABC news)
As we left, we were informed that there was room for just seven more patrons to enter that evening. The bar seemed half-empty as it was. I sense that perhaps, this will be one of the last happy hour beers we will enjoy for a quite a while.
The rest of the evening was spent at nearby secluded Collins beach where we enjoyed the evening sunset with some beach games – staying the allotted 1.5 metres apart at all times, of course.
Australian borders have officially closed to non-residents. Australia now has 849 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 382 in New South Wales. Seven people have died to date.
