Liam Antaine (Melbourne)

MY girlfriend Linda and I live in Chelsea, a suburb in Melbourne, some 30km southeast from Melbourne’s Central Business District.

Over the last two weeks the situation in Melbourne has changed dramatically. Initially we didn’t have many confirmed cases and it seemed to be more of an issue overseas. As we watched on as other countries made major social changes, it was recommended we try social distancing.

The amount of confirmed cases is rising day by day, and so the Government has been enforcing stricter rules when it comes to social distancing, including closing Australia’s borders to travellers plus making sure people are self-isolating on their return. Schools had remained open up until this point.

Currently, many are working from home as all non-essential services have ceased. Panic buyers are storming the shops leaving many shelves empty. Toilet paper still remains one of the most sought after products – it’s all rather baffling to be honest. Being a young and healthy couple, the lack of products in stores doesn’t really affect us – we’re happy to eat what’s left after others go on their panic buying spree.

I work as an Events and Corporate Facilities Manager for the local government. I am exceptionally lucky to still be employed, as most entertainment industry workers have been made redundant, laid off or had their scheduled shifts cancelled. As events in Melbourne grind to a complete halt due to the restrictions imposed, many self-employed, freelance, casual and fulltime event workers have lost their jobs.

Sadly, who knows if this industry will ever fully recover? I was due to site and stage manage at our St Patrick’s Day event held each year, but two days out we had to make the difficult decision to cancel the event, like many others. I was also scheduled to work the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, but this has also been cancelled. Many Irish comedians perform at this festival each year. I, like many others, have been working from home – but, let’s face it, it’s difficult to run a major event from a two bed-home in Chelsea!