As the infection rates seem to fall in all the countries that have put good protocols in place, other places are still to get to that stage. This has brought out the good in people and also the no-so-good.
Fake news and conspiracy theories run riot on social media, and in normal conversations, and it is difficult to keep an unbiased outlook. We need to remember that
1. One day a terrible situation may emanate from OUR area, and
2. What have people or governments to gain from spreading this pandemic? Everyone loses. Everyone.
3. Don’t blame people for panicking - profiteering maybe, but not panicking. And don’t point the finger towards profiteering without evidence based proof, not just some Facebook post.
In the meantime, groups and individuals are getting together and spreading kindness and support. The Bin Isolation Outing group on Facebook keeps the world amused. Starting in Australia, and growing with nearly a million members now, it continues to spread madness and mayhem, with great doses of kindness and well wishes.
The Southern Barossa Alliance Group has also been busy and has partnered up with The Barossa Council to produce a website that will offer those who are struggling, and those who want to help with a range of contacts - both local and from wider afield - so that we can all feel that we are not alone. Knowing there are groups and services close by that can help, or point us in the right direction is invaluable. Please click on the link to see what they offer. (Be aware that this is a very new website, and they appreciate constructive feedback.) Their aim is to show that we care, and we are kind, and this initiative will serve us well, no matter the crisis - now or in the future.
In the meantime our local SA CWA Branch is responding to the call to arms from the State Group. As the Royal Adelaide Show has been cancelled - and thus we have lost our major fundraiser for the year - we need to get together and help where we can. Kath Fisher - Secretary of the Mt Pleasant SA CWA is asking members to start knitting squares, and Craft Manager Jan Bransbury is offering to assemble and sew them into blankets. Please get in touch with Kath (85682290) if you’d like to be a part of this.
The autumn leaves are going fast, and winter is sneaking up on us. Staying out of the cold might not be so bad, but it will still rankle if we can’t even do normal things like have a face-to-face chat with loved ones and friends without that aid of Facetime or Zoom.
Stay warm - stay safe.