COVID-19 Diaries: Eastern Beaches

Varying numbers of people were out again today at Bondi, Bronte and Coogee beaches, prior to this weekend, when fine weather is expected.

The NSW government announced this morning a tougher approach to lockdown rules and public health orders, as 390 new COVID-19 cases were recorded.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Sanitary Workers at Bondi Beach

A morning bather walks past cleaners sanitising outdoor showers at Bondi Beach.

As warmer spring weather descends on Sydney, beach-goers in Sydney’s eastern suburbs will find it increasingly difficult to resist the cool waters and warm sunshine during the city’s second COVID-19 lockdown.

The Delta variant - which originally spread across NSW from Bondi - has seen cases dramatically rise over the last two weeks. As the virus leaks into the state’s rural and regional areas, there are fears that authorities are losing control over the virus.

There were 390 new coronavirus cases today and 2 deaths.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Year 12 Student Vaccinations

This week, the NSW State Government opened up a repurposed Qudos Bank Arena at Sydney Olympic Park to Year 12 students as a mass vaccination centre. Up to 3,000 students received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccination yesterday, with similar numbers turning out today. The Pfizer shots were redirected from regional areas, coincidently, as COVID cases began appearing in Northern and Western parts of NSW.

The push to get students back to face-to-face schooling has been a major task for the government as it struggles to contain the spread of COVID-19 and to bolster the flagging economy. Today, 356 coronavirus cases were recorded in the community, with 3 more deaths.

The vaccination centre at Homebush will be opened to Year 12 students until the end of the week, with the expectation that HSC exams will proceed later this year, despite lingering health concerns.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Tensions Rise In Locked down Western Sydney

Tensions are high in Western Sydney as it enters another week of hard lockdown and as the State and Federal governments announced that Australian Defence Forces would be sent to the area to assist with ‘compliance’ and other measures.

In Blacktown, an apartment block of 100 residents remains under police watch after a COVID-19 outbreak was detected last month.

All main train stations in the lockdown hotspots had a visible police presence today. At least one arrest was made in relation to breach of public health orders.

The lines outside of the pop-up vaccination centres and testing clinics in Fairfield and Merrylands were only surpassed by those outside of Centrelink offices, which stretched down main streets and around corners.

COVID-19 cases continue to remain high across NSW.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Lockdown’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Lockdown Protest Fails to Materialise Under Massive Police Presence

Police turned out in unprecedented numbers in and around Sydney’s CBD, as today’s anti-lockdown protest failed to materialise.

The riot squad and mounted police unit patrolled the city streets, including Hyde Park and Town Hall. Police were seen stopping and questioning pedestrians but there were no signs of a repetition of last week’s massive rally.

Martin Place and Town Hall train stations were closed off to the public, as a series of highway patrol checkpoints and roadblocks were established at all major roads leading into the city.

Organisers of last week’s protest have vowed to regroup for another rally in late August.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: CBD Streets Fall Quiet

The streets have fallen quiet in the CBD after the weekend’s anti-lockdown protests.

COVID-19 cases continue to remain high in Sydney as fears that the virus spread has gotten out of control. 145 cases were recorded today across NSW. Another two people have died from the disease.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Anti-Lockdown Protest

A massive crowd turned out on Saturday to protest against the state government’s COVID-related public health orders. As case numbers continued to soar, thousands marched through Sydney’s CBD, demanding an end to the lockdown. Crowd numbers were estimated between 10,000-50,000. NSW Police claimed an attendance of only 3,500.

The protesters were made up of a disparate collection of people who feel aggrieved by the harsh lockdown measures imposed on select areas of Sydney, to the city’s the west and south-west. But the crowd also included a significant number of libertarians, fascists, nationalists, anti-vaxers, conspiracy theorists and religious zealots.

Despite a massive police presence, authorities were unable to control the huge rally, which began at Victoria Park and marched to Town Hall and back again. Violence broke out several times along the route. 57 people were arrested and the Police Minister later warned of more arrests.

The protest was part of an international network, ‘World Wide Rally for Freedom’, and coincided with similar marches in various cities across the world. Smaller protests also took place in Melbourne and Brisbane.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Merrylands Under Lockdown

Images from Merrylands, in Sydney’s west, which has today been placed under strict new lockdown health orders, restricting movement outside of the Cumberland and Blacktown Local Government Areas. Construction work, like in the rest of Greater Sydney, has ground to a halt in Merrylands. The only small businesses still operating are the essential ones, such as those in the food industry.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Fairfield Under Lockdown

Images of the suburb of Fairfield in Sydney’s south-west. Fairfield is currently under extreme COVID-19 lockdown measures, with residents unable to leave the Local Government Area apart from very few exceptions. As a result, local businesses have suffered severely, with many closing up shop. Fairfield is a diverse suburb, with a large representation of Arabic, Vietnamese and Chinese speakers.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Azizullah and Munawar Shah, Merrylands

Portrait of brothers, Azizullah and Munawar Shah, at their small business, Kebab al-Hajat, in Merrylands.

The Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus has spilt over from the original Bondi outbreak, into south-west Sydney and now into parts of western Sydney, including to Merrylands. The NSW Government has today extended the hard lockdown orders, currently in place in the south-west, to the Cumberland and Blacktown LGAs in the west. The Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, also pronounced the pandemic as a ‘national emergency’.

Overall, there were a record 136 COVID-19 cases recorded to 8pm yesterday. 62 of those cases were in south-west Sydney, with 29 cases detected in western Sydney, including in Merrylands. Notably, there were also 28 cases in the more affluent eastern suburbs - nearly as many as in the west - where there has been no talk of extending the harder lockdown measures.

Azizullah and Munawar Shah came to Australia from Afghanistan 12 years ago as refugees and set up their Kebab shop near Merrylands train station. Despite the economic impact of COVID hitting their business hard, the two brothers are still working and serving what locals claim is the best Afghan food in the west.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Multi-lingual Campaign

The NSW Government has finally ratcheted up multi-lingual COVID-19 campaign across Sydney. South-west Sydney is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in Australia and where many of the recent cases have been recorded. Despite this, there has been surprise that so little effort has been made to communicate in language directly to these different community groups, especially given that the Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, today announced the pandemic as a ‘national emergency’.

These images were taken yesterday at a deserted Crescent Plaza in Fairfield, a place usually busy with lunchtime workers and community members enjoying each other’s company. The electronic sign displays COVID-19 related information in four different languages. It was also announced today that the daily government press conference would now be directly translated into Arabic and Vietnamese.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Danny the Baker, Merrylands

Portrait of Danny, a baker at the Persian Bakery in Merrylands.

The Delta strain has spilt over from the original Bondi outbreak, into south-west Sydney and now into parts of western Sydney. The NSW Government has now extended the hard lockdown orders, currently in place in the south-west, to places like Merrylands and more broadly to the Cumberland and Blacktown LGAs.

Overall, there were a record 136 COVID-19 cases recorded yesterday. 62 of those cases were in south-west Sydney, with 29 cases detected in western Sydney, including in Merrylands. Notably, there were also 28 cases in the more affluent eastern suburbs - nearly as many as in the west - where there has been no talk of extending the harder lockdown measures.

The Persian Bakery, on Merrylands’ main drag, specialises in Iranian food. Despite the pandemic hitting local businesses, the bakery still seems to be doing relatively well, with yesterday’s bread sold out by mid-afternoon.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Domestic Airline Workers Hit By Lockdowns

Sydney’s domestic airport was today virtually a ghost town as the new wave of COVID-19 starts to hit even the largest businesses in Australia.

With three states in lockdown, the domestic airline industry has once again been brought to its knees. Those impacted most have been the airline workers - pilots, cabin attendants, ground crew, baggage handlers, air controllers, food and beverage workers, cleaners and many others.

Qantas is about to receive $2 billion in bailout money from the federal government, which has been criticised for not buying a public stake in the once nationalised air carrier. At the same time, Qantas is warning of further stand-downs if the current lockdowns continue. The company has already seen 8,500 layoffs last year. In that same period, it claimed $726 million in JobKeeper payments.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Train Satiniser

A sanitising worker wipes down contact points on a suburban train heading out to one of Sydney’s hot spots in the city’s south-west.

Many of these low-paid workers are migrants, the majority with a background from either South America or the Indian subcontinent. Although she didn’t want to giver her name, this worker told me she was from Brazil and hadn’t seen her family for more than two years. With the COVID-19 situation in Brazil continuing to be extremely precarious, she has serious concerns for her friends and relatives back home. Around 20 million people in Brazil have contracted the virus since the pandemic broke out and over half a million have died from the disease. There were nearly 1,500 deaths yesterday alone.

While Sydney’s COVID numbers pale in comparison, the city is still grappling with the virulent Delta strain, which has forced the city into lockdown for the last month.

Part of an ongoing series,’COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Eid Under Lockdown

The Imam of the Auburn Gallipoli Mosque live-streams recitations of the Quran over Facebook.

Much of south-west Sydney - an area with a high Muslim population - is currently celebrating Eid under hard lockdown and stay-at-home orders. Eid is one of Islam’s holiest days.

This photo was taken during last year’s Ramadan, which coincided with Sydney’s first lockdown.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Construction in Sydney Halts

Construction sites ground to a halt across Sydney today as new unprecedented public health orders announced last week come into force. As a result, thousands of workers will be either out of work or off work until at least the 30th of July.

There have been increasing calls for the reinstatement of the Jobkeeper program to assist workers, as the Federal Government resists such calls.

Part of an ongoing series,’ COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: NSW Premier Press Conference

NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, announces a partial roll back of yesterday’s strict new public health orders at today’s daily press conference at the Ministry of Health headquarters in St Leonards.

The health orders apply specifically to the Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield and Liverpool LGAs, restricting residents from being able move out of their areas, aside from ‘essential’ work reasons.

105 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded as of 8pm last night, with numbers refusing to subside.

Also in attendance at today's presser was Chief Health Officer, Dr Kerry Chant, Deputy Police Commissioner, Gary Warboys.

Part of an ongoing series,’COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Bondi Apartment Block Under Police Lockdown

A Bondi apartment block has been put under police lockdown since last week, as five households within the complex were infected with COVID-19. The quick spread of the virus has been put down to the potency of the Delta strain currently hitting Sydney and Melbourne. The block has been cordoned off with a 24-hour police watch to ensure residents do not breach the lockdown, which will last until next week.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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COVID-19 Diaries: Feroza

Portrait of Feroza.

Feroza approached me on the street as I was documenting the impacts of COVID-19, having seen me with my cameras. “Where you from”, she asked, “Channel 7, Channel 9?” (people always seem to default to Channel 7 first up for some reason). She wanted some information about whether she would get into trouble for collecting bottles off the streets and from rubbish bins under the current public health orders. I told her I didn’t know and that she could possibly ask authorities, but she baulked at the suggestion, fearing it may bring difficulties for her. Feroza supplements her pension by cashing in bottles that she finds. The pension, she says, is not enough to live off. She also collects discarded toys that she finds for a children’s charity in Fiji, her country of birth.

I asked her if I could take a photo of her and she agreed, hoping it might get her story out.

Today, the NSW Premier announced stricter restrictions of movement, particularly in south-west Sydney, and other new public health orders as 111 cases were recorded in the last 24 hours.

Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.

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