Early in 2020, reports emerged of a virus in China. The news showed images of people in the city of Wuhan having their doors welded shut, and people here started wearing masks in the supermarket.
Because I have rheumatoid arthritis, I also decided to wear a mask. It felt strange and sort of exciting, like we were in a science-fiction movie.
There were reports of people dying in Italy and New York, and pictures of body bags. But on Facebook, some epidemiologists were saying they didn’t believe the virus was as serious as was being portrayed. It sowed the seeds of doubt for me.
During lockdown, we were told we’d be fined if we tried to drive anywhere other than the supermarket, or if we talked to the neighbours. After seven weeks, we were let out, as long as we promised to use weapons-grade hand wash.
There was a lot of new language being used: lockdowns, alert levels, places of interest, close contacts and social distancing. Living with this level of fear seemed insane. Then I read an article by Australian economist Gigi Foster that questioned whether the costs were worth the benefits. I agreed with her.
In February 2021, vaccines became available in New
