Check your Covid Privilege
Earlier this year I spent three months in Melbourne supporting my eldest daughter.
Lockdowns and uncertainty had sent her final-year university stress levels into overdrive.
The enormous pressure and subsequent anxiety of living alone in a Covid-riddled city had also brought on an autoimmune illness called alopecia.
My daughter’s story is not unique.
Covid 19 and nearly 300 days in lockdown has tragically impacted the mental health of thousands of children and young adults in this country.
Calls to children’s hotlines have tripled while attempted suicides of young people in Victoria have reportedly gone up 200% since the start of this pandemic.
It is a tragedy of the highest order, and the long-term effects this point in time will have on children remains to be seen.
****
Last week in Darwin, a few people sat at a table enjoying the freedoms of living in a city largely unaffected by Covid.
No masks, no restrictions, cafes open, laughter, plans being made to hit pubs on the weekend, or to go for a spot of camping. And so on.
Then. One of the men sitting at this table began hurling abuse at a public servant for ‘wrecking Darwin’ because of Government’s strict mandatory vaccination policy.
The irony of this fool sitting at a cafe with all his mates, enjoying his freedom and privileges while claiming his life has been ‘wrecked’ because he doesn’t want a life saving vaccination is too ridiculous to fathom.
But it did get me thinking about some people and their privilege.
The privilege of living through a global pandemic and not having your day to day life or ability to pay bills affected.
The privilege of being able to march through a city calling for your “freedom” .. while you live in the freest state in the country.
The privilege of having access to a lifesaving drug .. but calling for your ‘right’ not to have it.
The privilege of not having to watch your loved ones go through the trauma of being alone and locked away in a ghost city for months on end.
The privilege of not ever having to watch any of your family die a slow, painful death in an Intensive Care unit.
***
In Melbourne, I know my daughter will be fine.
But my worry isn’t necessarily her. It is for the thousands of young people today struggling to navigate these difficult times.
Lockdown has ‘ended’ in Melbourne, but they have such a long way to go to get back to any kind of normalcy.
Yesterday my 21 year old spent an excited afternoon getting ready to “hit the town” with her friends after months of not being able to see each other.
But she phoned me at 9pm to say their one hour limit was up, and there were only 20 people allowed in the pub anyway so the mood to celebrate just wasn’t quite there yet. She was already home in bed.
They have a long path to navigate as their state reopens with Covid numbers sitting in the thousands and nearly 150 people – nearly all unvaccinated – lying in an ICU bed.
The path ahead is fraught and many more will die.
So perhaps before you join a “freedom rally” or spout irrational words about a lifesaving vaccination, or spew bile about a mandate designed to protect you and your kids … maybe have a long, hard think about your privilege.
Because my daughter and millions more like her sure as hell don’t have the privilege you do right now.