I made a careless remark in a blog post the other day that I’m disappointed that we can’t have visitors during his pandemic and ‘we’re all in this together’. I realise that could be read to mean that I’m in favour of no border control and that the disease should be allowed to run free. Nothing is further from the truth.
I’m eternally grateful that I live in Tasmania, on an island, naturally protected from invasive species. I’m grateful that our state government took quick and decisive measures to deal with the issue and I’m relieved that our population is generally resisting the siren-call of the no-vaxxers, and that we are close to achieving a good level of vaccine coverage. It would be a disaster to undermine the success we’ve had by opening the borders too soon.
I despair of the games being played by our Prime Minister who seems more concerned with the economy and the next election than with protecting his citizens. And Gladys is running for cover, cancelling her regular press conferences when things are becoming a little sticky.
I was reading about the Black Death which stalked Europe in the 1600s. The little village of Eyam in England was infected with the disease through fleas in a bale of wool which was imported from Europe. The villagers met and it was decided they would shut themselves off from the rest of the country to try and stop the spread of the plague into surrounding areas. They knew that many of the villagers would die but, unselfishly, they were more concerned about passing the disease on to other villages.
They still traded with neighbouring towns but only at a distance. A local stone mason cut holes in a large stone which was placed at the entrance to the village. Each day, the holes were filled with vinegar and traders dipped their coins in the vinegar before they were given in exchange for goods purchased. Remember, this is in 1665 and 1666. I think, at the end, most of the villagers died but their unselfish sacrifice is still remembered.
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