By April Murphy
With 2020 behind us, many Brisbane residents have high hopes and expectations for 2021.
Life gradually started to get back to what people were once accustomed. However, within a few days, the UK strain of COVID-19 hit the city streets, which has sparked mixed emotions about the new year.
Becky Gray, a successful business owner from Logan, and her family experienced tough times due to the pandemic’s ever-changing circumstances. She wants to believe that 2021 will be a better year.
“I am looking forward to 2021. I expect by mid-year that we will all be vaccinated,” she says.
Mrs Gray considers that people have learned many life lessons along COVID-19 and that the future is much brighter in relation to the pandemic. She states that up until now, the deadly virus has dominated everybody lives.
“I just hope that COVID-19 doesn’t change people’s easy-going attitude to life and that they don’t become all encompassed about getting it,” says Ms Gray.
Mrs Gray has an unselfish attitude towards the virus. Her thoughts and worries lie with the poorer countries and the disadvantaged people across the world.
“I believe that when the vaccine is ready, it should be distributed evenly and not be bought out by wealthier countries”.
Her priority as a business owner is to continue to provide work for employees, as she is fully aware of how detrimental unemployment would be to their families. Mrs Gray’s noble attitude to the pandemic is a refreshing characteristic while facing the possible spread of the highly contagious UK Strain of the virus.
Thirty-year-old, Krystal Maul-Laubscher, from Clayfield, is pregnant with her second child and is due to give birth in March. She moved to Brisbane from Brooklyn, USA, in June 2019.
As like many Brisbane residents, Mrs Maul-Laubscher’s life during 2020 was not as she expected. “Before COVID-19 hit Australia, I was already feeling isolated due to being new to the country,” she says.
An exacerbated level of depression and anxiety knocked on her door. However, with the new year’s turn, Mrs Maul-Laubscher has a positive outlook for what the future holds for her and the family.
“Hopefully, my parents will be able to visit Australia, and my husband and children continue to be happy and healthy.”
With the current rise in COVID-19 cases in Queensland, she does fear that things will not return to normality soon. “There is a lot of uncertainty. My daughter is starting Prep in January, and I am not sure how that will unfold for her,” says Mrs Maul-Laubscher.
But, she continues to make plans for the future and ensure that life can go on during the pandemic. “I plan to do things for my own wellbeing and possibly join a Mums and Bubs Group,” she says.
In Windaroo, Kacy Hansen, a wife and mother of a primary aged son, owns a hairdressing salon on Brisbane Southside.
When the pandemic struck the city, daily life routines became very foreign. She had to learn quickly to adjust to the restrictions that were put in place.
“We had to make a few changes in the salon so that everything was abiding by the social distancing rules,” says Mrs Hansen.
There is a fear that if COVID-19 numbers continue to rise, further restrictions will be put in place and her business may be at risk of closure. Overall, she does not expect 2021 to be that different to 2020. “We just deal with what is thrown at us,” she says.
Kacy’s positive outlook is welcoming as Brisbane residents are banning together in the fight against the pandemic. Many express a positive attitude towards restrictions, taking advantage of the time with their family and doing things around the house.
After experiencing the virus’s demands in 2020, the Brisbane locals’ outlook would suggest that they are ready to battle whatever 2021 has to offer about COVID-19.