This is the first of a series of photographs that I’ll be posting over the next few months or as how ever long it is possible, to document the small and large consequences of life in Sydney as it unfolds under COVID-19.
Yesterday, I took my bike (I’m trying to avoid public transport as much as I can) and camera, stopping along the way, to Bondi Beach on the first day it was shut off from the public, after a mass gathering there over the weekend, despite pleas for ‘social distancing’.
It was quite a sight with this vast expanse of golden sand under brilliant autumnal sunshine, devoid of the usual swarms of buffed bodies. Instead, an eerie silence, apart from the crashing of waves and soft murmurs of passersby. Entries to the beach were cordoned off and surf-lifesavers patrolled the shore line trying to get the last few defiant surfers out of the water with the threat of fines and police action.
People were on edge with one fracas breaking out on the promenade. I was abused by one member of the public as being part of “the media”, who were “worse than the virus for causing the outbreak of panic”.
In the distance, two large cruise liners floated ominously on the horizon, apparently full of passengers, some whom are suspected of having contracted COVID-19. Last week, 2700 people were let off a cruiser at Circular Quay, despite the fact the many were being tested for the virus. The consequences of that are yet to be felt.
*Click through images for full screen view
^This post contains links
