Families, business owners, students and politicians have opened up about how they coped through the COVID-19 pandemic, and the past 100 days the state has spent virus-free.
It was a year of reshuffling, rejigging, rescheduling and learning to live with the new normal. Tasmanian families, businesses, students and politicians have opened up about their journeys through COVID-19 and the last 100 days the state has spent since a virus diagnosis.
Read their stories.
Families with kids reflect on COVID-19
THE year of COVID-19 meant a rapid rejig of the work-life juggle for Tasmanian families with young children.
As Tasmania today marks 100 days since the last reported COVID-19 case, the Munting family, of Rose Bay, is reflecting on their journey.
Genevieve and Grant Munting have three children, Tess, 6, Joe 4 and Toby 1.
Mrs Munting, a business analyst, was on parental leave during the lockdown period earlier this year.
She said this took some of the pressure off the family while all three children were at home.
“It would have been really difficult to both be working, to work from home with young kids around,” she said.
Mr Munting, an engineer, worked from home for three months.
Daughter Tess was home for term two when schools closed to all but children of essential workers, while Joe was removed from his one day of childcare.
Mrs Munting said homeschooling had been a learning process for herself as much as for her daughter
“I found it difficult at the start because I was really wanting to get through the school work that we had been given and got myself pretty stressed out about it.
“Once I realised that it wasn’t going to be the end of the world if she didn’t get through everything we started to enjoy the time, getting out for bike rides and walks and not worrying as much about the school work,” she said.
Mrs Munting said she was grateful for simple things following the lockdown, such as visiting her grandparents in aged care and taking her children to a playground.
The pandemic has also changed the Muntings’ relationship with work for the better, with both parents now able to work from home one day per week.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 34,516 people tested in past 100 days*
- 2822 people in hotel quarantine: 1321 in South, 635 in North, 866 in North-West.
- 7073 people who have completed home quarantine
- 16,588 Compliance checks on people in home quarantine
- 19 Breaches of quarantine (home and hotel)
* Data period is from August 8 to November 16. Source: Tasmanian Government.
BUSINESSES TELL OF AMAZING SUPPORT
LIKE many Tasmanian restaurateurs, Mark and Ruth de Bont have had the year from hell.
The couple, who have owned Bellerive eatery Three Little Ducks for nine years, have worked through personal heartache to keep their business going.
“It’s been a f … ed up year,” Mrs de Bont said.
“On March 16 my dad passed away in South Australia. We were over in South Australia for the funeral and that’s when they closed the borders down.”
The couple raced back to Tasmania, but closed their venue for two weeks while they were in home quarantine.
When they reopened they were forced to throw out thousands of dollars worth of stock while earning a trickle of income with takeaway only.
But a combination of support from loyal customers, an understanding landlord and JobKeeper, they have been able to keep their staff and revive the business.
“The support we have had from the local community has been amazing,” Mrs de Bont said.
The state government rule change to allow venues to cater for one person per two-square-metres instead of one person per four-square-metres had made a huge positive impact.
Mr de Bont said the four-square-metre limit forced venues to turn frequently away customers
“We saw money just draining away,” he said.
However the return of tourists to the state has posed a new problem.
“When the borders were closed we were absolutely 100 per cent pumping. When they borders reopened people stepped back and said we are not going to go out. It’s quietened down for the last four weeks,” Mr de Bont said.
STUDENTS OPEN UP ABOUT CORONAVIRUS-ERA LEARNING
TASMANIAN students have lifted the lid on what it was like managing study in a year like no other.
After completing his final Year 12 exam on Wednesday, Hobart College student Jack Norris said he was looking forward to experiencing the liberties of a “relatively unrestricted” Tasmanian summer.
Despite struggling with at-home study during the height of the pandemic earlier in 2020, Jack said he learnt more this year than he expected to.
“Studying from home ended up meaning I built resilience, self-discipline and motivation I wouldn’t have otherwise learnt,” he said.
“I had to make myself get out of bed and get into a study routine without having a teacher there directing me.
“When I came back to school later in the year, I was all the better for it.”
His classmate Jess Hall had a different experience with at-home study this year.
“I really enjoy class, so it wasn’t really practical for my learning style. I much more enjoy being at school with my friends so it was difficult,” she said.
“But all the teachers stayed in contact with me constantly while working from home so that was great.”
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