I found this chalk slogan on the road hilariously neo-liberal. Absolutely, greed sucks - the way COVID-19 exacerbated wealth inequalities and ravaged communities disproportionately (due to lack of resources/access and over-policing) sucks. Yet, this chalked slogan was a simplification (or even armchair activist representation) of that reality and this made me chuckle.

Health officials are pushing residents to get booster shots as state data shows about 50% of the recorded COVID deaths in Illinois last week were cases where people were fully vaccinated. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported there were 179 COVID-19 deaths from October 20 to October 27. From the same reporting period of October 20-27, there were 91 breakthrough cases, IDPH data shows. A breakthrough case is when a person tests positive for COVID-19 at least 14 days after being fully vaccinated and did not test positive in the previous 45 days, according to IDPH. 87% of all breakthrough COVID-19 deaths in Illinois have been in the 65+ age group. Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that COVID-19 vaccines “continue to be highly effective at preventing death due to COVID-19.” [Suggested Article] Illinois attorney general, 51 other attorneys general call on Congress to protect children on Facebook, Instagram “Of the more than 7 million people in Illinois who are fully vaccinated, breakthrough deaths have occurred in 0.01% of the population,” Arnold said. Arnold noted that not all breakthrough deaths reported from October 20 to October 27 actually occurred in that span. “It takes time (days to weeks) to match death records with vaccination records; therefore; there can be a lag in when the death occurred and when it is reported as a breakthrough death,” she said. Still, the reporting week from October 20 to October 27 had the highest percent of breakthrough deaths compared to non-breakthrough deaths since the state began publishing the data back in April. Currently, Illinois residents 65 or older, anyone 18+ with underlying medical conditions or who work or live in high-risk settings, such as educators and first responders, are eligible to receive a booster shot of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Those who received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine are able to get any COVID-19 vaccine as their booster shot, the CDC says. “We know that advanced age is a significant factor in COVID-19 breakthrough hospitalizations and deaths, but a booster dose can help provide continued protection,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said earlier this month. “While COVID-19 vaccines continue to be effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, scientists and medical experts continue to watch for signs of waning immunity, how well the vaccines protect against variants, and how that data differs across age groups and risk factors,” Ezike said.

COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing infection, serious illness, and death. Most people who get COVID-19 are unvaccinated. However, since vaccines are not 100% effective at preventing infection, some people who are fully vaccinated will still get COVID-19. An infection of a fully vaccinated person is referred to as a “vaccine breakthrough infection.”

A blog post from Banner Health about relationships with partners and spouses during Covid-19.

A blog post from Banner Health about post-partum depression during Covid-19.

During the 6th Victorian lockdown in August 2021, my family decided to do some cleaning of our old children’s books to pass the time. My mum decided to set up this little ‘lockdown library’ to give the books out for free to good homes, in hopes of helping kids who are stuck at home stay busy during the lockdown and online schooling. As they cleaned, they also found some adult books to give away as well, in hopes that it would help provide not only entertainment, but a reminder of human kindness and the fact that we are all in this together.

The 2021 Census fell on August 10th, during the 6th lockdown. This Mark Knight comic published in the Herald Sun on August 12th is a comedic take on the questions Victorians were truly thinking about. I thought the QR code with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was particularly clever, as the use of QR codes to scan into everywhere we visit has become a quintessential part of our everyday routines. The questions themselves are funny, with the Aussie slang ‘yeh, nah’ being the options for each one. Asking things such as if you have been out of your trackies or house that day are clever questions, because they reflect a universal experience that almost all Victorians could relate to in one way or another.

This comic drawn by Mark Knight, is a satirical cartoon commenting on Victoria’s requirements to obtain a negative Covid test result prior to entering the Alpine Regions, as the mountains prepared to welcome guests back to their slopes. I came across this cartoon the day it was posted in the Herald Sun, as I was packing my bags to leave for Mount Hotham early the next morning. When entering the resort and prior to driving up the mountain, there was staff in Fluro vests checking everyone had an SMS indicating their negative test result. I found it interesting that this short, 10 second process was the only one in place to keep the Alpine Regions safe from Covid. On the mountain, there was a testing site which never seemed to have any visitors, as well as Covid marshals in Hotham Central (the main building) checking to make sure everyone was wearing a mask, or face covering at all time. Due to the nature of the resort, it felt as if Covid was a thing of the past, with hospitality open, dance floors, retail shops and no social distancing on chair lifts or in accommodation.

This comic drawn by Mark Knight, is a satirical cartoon commenting on Victoria’s requirements to obtain a negative Covid test result prior to entering the Alpine Regions, as the mountains prepared to welcome guests back to their slopes. I came across this cartoon the day it was posted in the Herald Sun, as I was packing my bags to leave for Mount Hotham early the next morning. When entering the resort and prior to driving up the mountain, there was staff in Fluro vests checking everyone had an SMS indicating their negative test result. I found it interesting that this short, 10 second process was the only one in place to keep the Alpine Regions safe from Covid. On the mountain, there was a testing site which never seemed to have any visitors, as well as Covid marshals in Hotham Central (the main building) checking to make sure everyone was wearing a mask, or face covering at all time. Due to the nature of the resort, it felt as if Covid was a thing of the past, with hospitality open, dance floors, retail shops and no social distancing on chair lifts or in accommodation.

In March 2020 during the first covid-19 lockdown, we heard a lot about toilet paper shortages, queues and fights for it at supermarkets. What surprised me to see on a walk around Brunswick was a substantial queue at a local bakery. It was also one of the first social distanced queues I had seen and certainly the first I had taken a photo of. It summed up the new state of affairs to me, while reminding me of the importance that bread holds in our diets. In some ways I was relieved to see a queue for it rather than something more trivial such as toilet paper. The fact it was a local bakery highlighted to me the importance that people in Brunswick place on locally made produce. This also reminded me of the historical importance of bread, for instance the riots that occurred when bread and flour prices increased in France in the late 1780s or Lenin's promise to the Russian people of 'Peace, Bread, Land' in 1917. To me this photo captured how despite circumstances changing immensely, the importance of accessing staple foods remains more or less constant.

This photo is a picture of the sticker that the doctors would give out once you got your vaccine shot. My doctor peeled off the sticker and handed it to me, and I quickly put it on an old receipt in my bag because I wanted to keep it. Outside of the last few years, diseases often did not really play a role in 21st century Australia, but now the sticker shows how some people have a sense of pride around being vaccinated. My partners doctor placed the sticker directly onto his shirt, and he was quite happy to wear it the whole way home. In addition, the Victorian government logo on the bottom shows how the government is endorsing vaccinations for the public. HIST30060.

This photo shows the waiting area that the public was directed to after receiving their vaccine doses. When I was being walked over, my doctor told me to wait fifteen minutes, and if I felt ill during that time period I should sit on the floor and raise my hand. The chairs were stuck to the ground about six feet apart. There was a much larger section of chairs behind me, but I did not want to photograph anyone without their consent, even though everyone had masks on. Once your fifteen minutes were up, there was a desk at the front of the room with staff to double check that you felt alright as well as validating parking if needed. HIST30060.

This is a screenshot from my iPhone when I checked into the Melbourne Convention Centre for my second dose of the vaccine. Throughout the Convention Centre, there were several lines with staff directing where to check in, what lines to go into for various brands of the vaccine, as well as a more personal data like ID and Medicare cards. This screenshot shows one of the check points, where staff would direct you to sign in, wait patiently, and then once you showed them the green checkmark, would then allow you to move onwards. At the bottom of the screenshot, there is a prompt directing me to “get the full app” of Service Victoria on my phone, even though I already had it installed. HIST30060.

This is a picture of one of the QR codes inside the Melbourne Convention Centre that one had to sign in while getting their vaccine. Each person was directed to pull out their personal phone and sign in individually. There were 2 QR codes to sign into, with staff standing nearby to direct the public in what to do as well as double check the confirmation. The QR code outside of the centre would lead to a short survey, with questions such as “Do you have any symptoms of COVID?” or “Have you been to any of the latest COVID hotspots?” This QR code in particular is to confirm that the person has signed into the physical place of the Melbourne Convention Centre. HIST30060.

This is a picture of the outside of the Melbourne Convention Centre while crossing the Yarra, where I received my second dose of AstraZeneca COVID vaccine on 12:30pm October 21st, 2021. When I had received the first dose on August 27th, a line had wrapped around the building of at least a hundred people walking in to receive Pfizer. However, by this date, you can see by the photo that there were far fewer people waiting to receive their second dose. Even though I was half an hour early to my appointment, there were so few people that the staff waved me through without any problems. The whole time I was inside the convention centre, I probably saw only twenty people, excluding staff. HIST30060.

Some reflections on the pandemic from my experience working in a suburban supermarket in Melbourne. I share some general feelings about how COVID changed the environment within supermarkets, as well as several pandemic-related interactions with customers.

Due to the difficulty of making friends in person due to covid, I increasingly turned to online fandom spaces to find people with similar interests to me. The follow screenshot is from a tumblr group chat confirming the first international fan based Zoom call which I was part of in June 2020. CST refers to Central Standard Time, the timezone which encompasses countries of Central and parts of Eastern Europe. This was my first experience talking to people from overseas that shared similar interests to me on a video call. It lead to me join multiple groups across platforms such as discord to communicate further. It was the beginning of me gaining more international friends which have been a really important part of keeping an active social life during this pandemic. It was also an eye opening experience to hear first hand accounts of how people around the world were living through this global pandemic.

This video was taken on 21 September 2021, capturing the view of the Westgate Bridge from Williamstown, Melbourne, as anti-lockdown protestors fill several lanes and disrupt traffic. The footage shows smoke coming from the bridge and all traffic brought to a standstill. There were also helicopters hovering and police car lights joining the scene later on. I was on a walk with a friend along the Esplanade at the time this footage was taken. It felt quite scary to be seeing aggressive, violent attitudes manifest so close to home. We knew what was going because of news updates coming through our phones. After the initial shock and fear at witnessing this happening on a few kilometres away, my friend and I walked the rest of the way in silence, too appalled by the behaviour to do more than shake our heads in dismay.

This photo was taken in May 2020, when Melbourne restrictions prevented religious gatherings from taking place. I attend Westgate Baptist Community church in Yarraville in the western suburbs of Melbourne, and it had transitioned to zoom for its church services by this point. On the day this picture was taken, we were meant to organise our own bread and wine for the ritual of communion. It was strange to source these elements on our own and even stranger to just pass them to each other instead of being given them by the pastor. It probably took some sense of gravitas and 'specialness' out of the ritual. At the same time though, it was evident that in a very precarious, unprecedented time, this community was really hanging on to such rituals for some normalcy and comfort in a sense of the divine's presence. We would not be back to in-person services until February 2021.

This photo was taken in May 2020, when Melbourne restrictions prevented religious gatherings from taking place. I attend Westgate Baptist Community church in Yarraville in the western suburbs of Melbourne, and it had transitioned to zoom for its church services by this point. On the day this picture was taken, we were meant to organise our own bread and wine for the ritual of communion. It was strange to source these elements on our own and even stranger to just pass them to each other instead of being given them by the pastor. It probably took some sense of gravitas and 'specialness' out of the ritual. At the same time though, it was evident that in a very precarious, unprecedented time, this community was really hanging on to such rituals for some normalcy and comfort in a sense of the divine's presence. We would not be back to in-person services until February 2021.

This screenshot was taken during a zoom call with members of my Dad's side of the family in September 2020, during Victoria's third COVID lockdown. At this point, we hadn't seen each other since early June of that year, which was unusual - in normal times, we would gather in person at least once a month, but lockdown prevented social gatherings with anyone outside one's household. We were zooming in from 8 different locations and with competing voices, technical difficulties and zoom-illiterate older relatives, it wasn't quite the same experience as catching up in person. One thing we realised very quickly was that it was impossible to initiate more intimate, one-on-one conversations with people on zoom. Instead, each screen in the call got a chance to give an update and we missed the more personal conversations. It was also strange seeing families grouped together in this virtual family gathering. In person, certain people in the family would naturally form groups based on age and gender and families wouldn't appear so much like a unit as in these calls. Although it was good to see people's faces again, I think we would all agree zoom calls are a poor substitute for the real deal.

HIST30060. How do you pass the time during a 5km radius lockdown with only four reasons to leave? Chess. After watching the Queens Gambit, my housemates and I spend a few hours a day playing multiple games of chess in person, or on Chess.com. Chess is a great way to pass the time because each game is unique. Every game has thousands of variables that allow alternative moves to ‘one-up’ your opponent. We started off with little no knowledge of the game but built our fundamentals through Youtube tutorials. This has increased a skills rapidly and allowed us to challenge people across the world using Chess.com. Online chess, in fact, is the most used online game in the world and continues to rapidly grow during the pandemic. I like this image because it captures the way my housemates and I have been living whilst full-time students with limited time to earn income. Note the piece of ply we use as an outdoor table, sitting on chairs we found on the side of the road. We managed to furnish our whole house like this, which I think is impressive but really dingy.

These are screenshots of text messages sent from a supermarket manager to a group chat of service team members of a major Australian supermarket in Altona North, Melbourne. They detail the new cleaning regime that became part of the responsibilities of working in a supermarket during the pandemic. These include instructions about wiping down surfaces with sanitiser and keeping 1.5m distance from coworkers. These texts came a few days after Victoria's third lockdown was announced. I worked at the supermarket at the time and it was an extremely chaotic period, made more hectic by ever-changing restrictions and developments in COVID-safe practices. We would get texts like these quite frequently during this third lockdown because it was so important that supermarket essential workers kept abreast of COVID developments and worked to make supermarkets as safe as possible.

Despite not having been able to attend my university campus for the prior year and not being able to attend it in the coming year as a result of lockdown restrictions, I was still forced to pay an amenities fee to the university. This meant that I had restricted access to the amenities that I was still paying full price for. This combined with losing my job made the payment difficult to make.

After losing my job the prior month I attempted to find financial support through the Jobkeeper program that was being run by the Victorian Government at the time. Unfortunately as a result of being terminated the prior month as well as having a casual status at the job I was unable to receive support from the government or the company that I worked for. This meant that I was out of work and money for a period of 6 months in 2020 before finally being able to find another job. Personal information relating to myself and the business have been marked out in order to protect privacy.

During each of the lockdowns the popular way for my friends and I to stay in touch was through video calls to each other on the Facebook messenger app. Pictured here is myself and four other friends on a Saturday night all talking to each other. Two of the participants were wearing suits as they had previously attended a video call for a football presentation. It was not uncommon for people to jump in and out of calls as the calls themselves could last a number of hours.

Greek Week was my first experience in a sorority. It was amazing to live thanks to the help of the Greek life leaders. Because of COVID-19, it had been online, and the experience wasn't the same. I'm really thankful that it was possible to do it in person this time, and it meant a lot to me to bond with my new sisters. Paul, one of the main authorities during this event was a very good leader. He maintained COVID-19 guidelines and enforce them very strictly. Thankfully nobody got COVID-19 and the games were played and fulfilled as supposed to. Without him or the other figures that helped everything would have not been possible, this experience wouldn't have been what it was.

In March 2020, my former place of employment was forced to close down as a result of lockdown restrictions. This was the only communication given to employees about being let go. I had worked at the company for four years at the time from the age of 16 through to the time I was 20. I have redacted some of my own personal information as well as information that could give the company away. The swim school did not manage to reopen at full capacity for almost a year and many staff did not return to the school as they found other employment.

During the lockdowns, my younger brother had to study at home, as such he asked for mum to buy him a desk that he could use to study on. He ended up using this desk for the entire 5th and 6th lockdown in Melbourne. Often times his desk was filled with sheets of paper and open books, pictured here is the desk in a far more cleanly state.

One of the ways that my family and I relaxed in the evenings during the first COVID-19 lockdown was by doing jigsaw puzzles. Here are just two examples of the many we completed throughout 2020. We set up in the living room using a board of sorts (cardboard from the box our television had been in) to do it on so that all the pieces would stay within one area and the whole thing would be portable if we needed the table back. The map one (left) had 1500 pieces and was the first one we completed in May. The second puzzle pictured here (right) was a particular struggle because it did not come with a picture of what the finished puzzle looked like. We all worked on our own little sections before figuring out how they all came together. It was an incredibly satisfying moment to see the puzzle completed finally knowing how each of our little parts fit together to create it. Jigsaw puzzles have been something that have helped me relax for years. There was often one at my high school library that I would do to have a break from my studies in order to take my mind off things. As it was in the library multiple people would join in making it very much a collective effort. Thus, doing jigsaws with other people, in this case my family, during these hard times was one of the things which helped keep me relatively sane during 2020. It was a very rewarding activity that allowed for greater engagement with one another than simply watching television for hours on end.

In July 2021, while on one of my afternoon walks, I discovered this local lockdown activity of chicken feeding. A local household was offering people the chance to feed their very friendly and excitable chickens. I am unsure when this activity first started as I do not usually walk the way that would take me past them. However, it was an amusing and relaxing thing to be able to do amidst the chaos of a global pandemic. The chickens were really very cute, despite not the brightest creatures I've ever known. I have visited them with my family regularly ever since that first time and have noted that other people, often local children, have also relished the opportunity to interact with live animals. In a small way, I believe the chickens have brought the neighbourhood a little closer together and given local children the opportunity to interact with animals they would not normally get a chance to. Sadly, due to old age and the presence of urban foxes the number of chickens has decreased and only one of the original trio remains (as of October 2021). However, she has a new friend now and is very keen to establish her authority. The sign and container of dry food has been removed but we often bring them other food- they are particularly fond of sowthistle.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way I travel on a local level. Before the lockdowns in Melbourne I would frequently (several times per week) travel via public transport, mainly on trams. However, the lockdowns meant that all the things that I would use public transport to get to were moved online. As a result, for over eight months I did not use public transport at all. The increased exposure sites on trams meant that even when restrictions eased in various periods, I was reluctant to use them. The few times I have been on trams since I have felt anxious as there were often other passengers that did not wear facemasks properly, if at all. As a result, I now tend to use other forms of transport such as cycling and walking to arrive at destinations.

Previous to COVID-19, everything related to community engagement was hands-on, face-to-face, and in-person. However, right after spring break in 2020, everything changed because of COVID-19, and new ways of interacting with the community and each other were used. To demonstrate this I uploaded for this item a screenshot from the Instagram page of the Community Engagement Office of St. Mary's University. Almost none of us were used to zoom and in a couple of weeks zoom turned into the number one platform used by businesses and schools as a means of communication and our community engagement was not the exception. One of the activities that were made during COVID-19 was a Netflix Party through zoom with many students engaged through the network. As a personal experience, I was part of a group/class called Empower: Ecuador that was very focused on personal relationships and community building, and transitioning to zoom was not easy. However, we were able to culminate our semester and encounter new ways to connect with each other through zoom and other social platforms in meaningful ways while keeping each other safe from getting sick. It was a matter of caring for each other so deeply that connecting in person was no longer an option, but our intentionality to connect and interact with each other grew in many other creative ways to achieve the goal of community engagement despite all the difficulties that we were all going through.

I was in the tail end of my eighth grade year when COVID uprooted the world. This story describes my experience as a Freshman in high school through a computer screen.

This is a short sentence sent into the Herald Sun newspaper just after another lockdown had been announced, that says quite simply 'Daniel Andrews, just get out of my life.' This sentiment has grown throughout the course of the pandemic, as people feel very frustrated with their freedoms being restricted, if only temporarily. Thus, this item reflects the debate around pandemic restrictions- while some see them as necessary to stop the spread, others question either the need for them or their harshness.

This photo shows a large amount of waste in the form of face masks that were found washed up on a beach in Hong Kong. While the pandemic has been argued to have brought some environmental benefits, namely from the reduced pollution that comes with fewer cars on the road, this photo shows that our efforts to protect ourselves are harming our oceans. Discarding of our disposable face masks responsibly is something we should all keep in mind in the course of the pandemic.

Image licensed under creative commons fair use.

HIST30060. The COVID-19 Disaster Payment, given to workers unable to earn income due to COVID-19 state or territory health order, was given to construction workers during the two-week construction shutdown in Victoria. Traffic control in the construction sector has been my casual job alongside university for the past three years. The recent construction shutdown, however, allowed me to receive the $750 a week from the Disaster Payment without working at all. My housemates and I called this “getting paid to study”. This was especially true in the lead up to exams were we spent the majority of time at home with very little excuse to do anything other than “hit the books”.

HIST30060. This meme highlights how many Victorians felt after enduring the longest duration of lockdowns in the world. Between March 2020 and October 2021, 254 days in total were spent in some form of lockdown in the pursuit of ‘elimination’ – the attempt eradicate COVID-19 from society completely. Whilst seemingly satirical, this meme alludes to a hidden truth. 43,000 Victorians left the state during the two-year pandemic according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Whilst seemingly small relative to Victoria’s 6.6million population, the amount of people that left Victoria was the equivalent of the entire City of Wodonga leaving the state. No other state or territory recorded a reduction in population, especially on this scale.

HIST30060. Following a state-wide construction vaccine mandate on the 20st of September, 2021, the CFMEU headquarters was violently ransacked. 'Tradies' or construction workers believed the CFMEU had not stood up for their rights. Violent scenes erupted between CFMEU leaders inside the headquarters and union members who had turned up to protest the vaccine mandate. Many Victorians watched the events unfold on livestream via Facebook and YouTube. Commentators noted that these protests were hijacked by far-right agitators attempting to destabilize the state through protests, especially during a pandemic where large gatherings are considered dangerous and illegal. Ultimately, the Andrews Government responded to the event by shutting down the entire construction sector for two weeks. This functioned as catalyst that pushed thousands of construction workers to protest for many days in the CBD. Ugly clashes between protestors and Victoria Police removed any validity or standing they may have had. Most people in the community heavily criticised those present, especially when other sectors (e.g. retail, hospitality, entertainment) had not been able to work for over 18 months.

The COVID-19 Disaster Payment, given to workers unable to earn income due to COVID-19 state or territory health order, was given to construction workers during the two-week construction shutdown in Victoria. Traffic control in the construction sector has been my casual job alongside university for the past three years. The recent construction shutdown, however, allowed me to receive the $750 a week from the Disaster Payment without working at all. My housemates and I called this “getting paid to study”. This was especially true in the lead up to exams were we spent the majority of time at home with very little excuse to do anything other than “hit the books”.

For many experiencing the pandemic in Victoria, the intimate partner clause meant that our girlfriends, boyfriends, or partners were the only persons many young people were able to see - well at least legally that is. Initially, the intimate partner clause did not exist, which was heartbreaking for many couples that lived apart, facing the prospect of not seeing their partner for an unknown amount time, during an unsettling and unprecedented period. When the clause was introduced, it was a saving grace for couples. For others, it legally introduced a sneaky way to meet people inside their bubble, particularly after connecting online. I was lucky enough to meet my girlfriend during what was her first and my last on-campus class for the last two years - before lockdown was a thing. After facing the scary prospect of not seeing each other during the first stages of Melbourne's first lockdown, the intimate partner clause allowed us to spend every day for months and months between houses, happily isolating in our shared bubble and growing incredibly close.

This document is an example of evidence given to students at Ormond College as proof of eligibility for the Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine. With a push for widespread vaccination happening in the second half of 2021, there were various reasons for eligibility which were introduced in order to manage the rollout. This letter indicates that an Ormond College resident is eligible due to their residence in ‘sensitive accomodation’ – namely ‘supported residential services.’ Many identical letters were distributed to students in order to encourage vaccination, and thus reduce the chances of a serious outbreak on campus. HIST30060. *Names and personal information has been redacted.

(HIST30060) This is a digitised version of a poster that I saw every day on public transport on my way to work. It's bright, unambiguous, and yellow and it reads: ‘You must wear a face mask while travelling’. This text is accompanied by a simple outline of a mask in black. Being without a car during the pandemic and being an essential worker meant that I had to make frequent trips on public transport. Before the pandemic I used to enjoy my tram rides, take the time to unwind and mindlessly listen to podcasts. However, now when I am on the tram, I feel vigilant. If someone sits down right next to me on an empty tram I move seats. This poster highlights the importance of following public health advice on public transport.

This game of bingo is an example of many of the online activities which were introduced as a form of entertainment during the various lockdown periods. Separated from friends and wider communities for long periods of time, innovative methods were necessary in order to encourage continued connection and interaction. This particular game is targeted towards members of the Ormond community, and refers to a number of specific scenarios that many residents would have experienced. While some are related to a ‘non-COVID’ semester at Ormond (such as ‘Survived O Week’ or ‘Got lost in Main Building’), many relate to the lockdown experience (like ‘Kept your camera on for an entire uni zoom tute’). In reminding readers of familiar scenarios, this seeks to inspire a continued relationship between members of the institution, and to reduce feelings of isolation. HIST30060.

With the cancellation of mass gatherings during the lockdown periods, many university students completing their final semester were sadly unable to attend their formal graduation ceremonies. This photograph, taken in November 2020, shows a congratulatory card and gift which were given to a friend after completing her Bachelor of Agriculture degree. University is a difficult time, and was made even more difficult by the unprecedented pandemic regulations. While very different from the traditional formalities, we still wanted to add a bit of excitement with this token of our appreciation. Small gestures such as this are an example of the innovation and creativity which many had to utilise, once denied access to many regular systems. Furthermore, it represents the importance of reaching out to friends and family whilst in isolation. Something as simple as a card acts as a reminder that there are people who support, care about and are proud of them. HIST30060.

This is a photo of the Ormond College bedroom I spent my isolation period in after getting tested for COVID-19. Due to the majority of students at the college staying in a shared building, with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities, a self contained residence such as this was seen as necessary to limit contact with other residents. Any student who showed flu-like symptoms, had interacted with a close contact, or had visited an exposure site, were therefore required to stay in a room similar to this one. Food was delivered to your door for the duration of your stay, and you were able to return to the college upon providing proof of a negative COVID result. The need for such isolation spaces was a result of living in a COVID society, and provided a solution to a unique challenge presented to the college. HIST30060.

This three-page document is an agreement that all residents of Ormond College had to sign upon their move in at the commencement of 2021. It details a number of expectations of behaviour of all students living on campus– including testing and self isolating when experiencing flu-like symptoms, ensuring social distancing is maintained, and acknowledging that any breach of said conditions could result in being asked to leave the college. Such a document indicates the changing nature of residential institutions, and the systems needed in order to limit the chances of an outbreak. While many of these conditions would have been unimaginable in early 2019, in 2021, many of them were simply seen as the norm for a communal living institution. HIST30060.

(HIST30060) This is a photo of what I wear during Zoom meetings; a button-up top and pyjama shorts paired with moccasin slippers. Although talking about wearing pyjamas has become somewhat of a cliché during the pandemic, it does not make it any less true. When Zooming with friends and attending online university tutorials, I tend to make an effort from the waist up and opt for comfort from the waist down. I figure if wearing pyjamas all day is one of the small glimpses of joy I can get from an otherwise tough situation, then I’ll take it.

(HIST30060) This photo depicts the contents of my hall table draw which is located near the entrance of my house. Inside the draw are the essential things I can grab before rushing out the door. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the draw was just for my keys, but now (as we can see in the photo) it also houses my family's spare masks and hand sanitiser. I thought this photo was important to share as it captures what I now cannot leave my house without. The mask no longer feels strange or new, instead, it feels like a second skin that I feel bare without.