LogFAQs > #936083221

Conflict posted...

This is not something I can look at and applaud tbh

Sounds terrifying

It was particularly scary last night. The news came in at 10pm, and the official word was that non-essential businesses were to close by noon. "Non-essential" is a very vague, broad term - Woolworths and Coles would have stayed open, since they're essential, but what about Big W and K-Mart? What about clothing stores like Label A and Rivers?

But so far, a majority of businesses are still open. The PM said that they'd be hashing out the details in the next 48 hours, so we'll wait and see. But it looks like the only "non-essential" places that have been hit are high risk areas like churches and pubs and such, where people are packed in like sardines.

I also got two news stories mixed up. The AFL is suspending their season for six months - I conflated that with the nationwide shutdown order. For what it's worth, the shutdown is going to be a month-to-month thing - the government will see how things are going, then they'll pass down the new rules. If things are still shit next month, or are even shitter, then more places close. If things get better, more stuff re-opens. And we've got a massive stimulus package that's going to businesses to pay employees who aren't able to work, as well as to keep pensioners and job seekers afloat.

I'm not saying that as a defence of this shutdown, because so far I think it's been enormously mishandled. We had a 14 hour window to shut down every pub, church and gym in NSW, and quite possibly the whole of Australia. We learned that the country is shutting down late at night, and the time that the new rules would be going into effect was noon the next day. If you were asleep before 10 last night, you would have woken up to the news of "everything's fucking closing by noon except for woolies".

I was taken aback, I was frightened. This is an unprecedented step to take, and I honestly panicked a little bit. The initial comment hit me like a ton of bricks - again, because the term "non-essential" is very broad and vague, and 14 hours is not a long time. A majority of retail places might have had to close, leaving the grocery places and chemists open - my friend works in the one chemist in town that absolutely, 100% cannot shut, even on public holidays.

But now it turns out that a lot of places are still allowed to be open. Big W and K-Mart are still open, and so are Label A and Rivers to my knowledge. McDonalds, KFC, Domino's etc. - still open. The only "non-essential" places to close today we're particularly high risk. So the picture we're looking at is a lot less scary than it was last night. Couple that with the stimulus that's been public knowledge for a little while before this sudden swerve into a shutdown, and things aren't looking as apocalyptic as some folks seem to think. That's partially my fault, sorry - people who will be forced our of a job will most likely still be paid enough to keep the lights on. But I had a chat with my mum this morning to ask if anything like this had happened in her lifetime, and she said that it hadn't. We're living in some weird fucking times, man.

---

So you don't get to be a saint, martyrs never last this long
Now Playing: Skyrim, Final Fantasy X-2