I was nervous when I heard the news that from Valentines Eve, no less, the rule to wear masks was being removed.
You’d think I should be jumping for joy. Back when the rule was imposed, old me would have thought so too.
Constantly hearing people coughing or sniffling has put me on high alert.
Now that 2 days have passed I like the freedom of wearing it when I want. To not worry about huge fines and fumbling for your mask at the bustop.
When the train cabins are empty I now relish the freedom of going mask free like how it was in early 2020 before this whole nightmare began.
Back then we could have hardly imagined the fear and uncertainty to come. And that it would last this annoyingly long. Hijack our lives and turn us into introverts with social anxiety. Well mostly me I guess, and children with their devices when they were even deprived of playing with their classmates.
There were so many laws being enforced. To keep people compliant there were reports in the news of people being arrested and jailed and those succumbing to the virus. Also there were some racist attacks, so that was scary.
It was a whole atmosphere of fear and it’s still there to some extent. It’s hard to completely shake off.
And there was a brief period during a trip to Perth when I first experienced the sweet freedom of going mask free, but there isn’t the human crush that we have here. I envied them so much.
But today I’m happy about where we are right now. And sometimes people hear can be nice like the young people who hold the door open for me or the elderly neighbour who says good morning. You give me hope.
