A week after the lockdown restrictions eased for fully vaccinated people in New South Wales, Sydney has started to come to life.
The phased return of dinners, gyms, dance floors, and community worship has seen people congregating in familiar indoor spaces.
Sydney is back.
Faithful reunion
For more than 100 days, priests at Australia’s largest Sikh temple sang and read prayers only to automated cameras broadcasting the service on YouTube.
The Gurdwara Sahib Glenwood would normally pass up to 10,000 temple visitors through their doors.
Masked and practicing social distancing, the double-vaccinated are back.
“I don’t know of anyone who comes to the temple who is not directly or indirectly affected by COVID in India, so emotions are high,†said Jatinder Singh of the Australian Sikh Association.
Extroverts have their day
Sydney’s dance parties have left the lounges and returned to the outdoors, injecting suburbs like Barangaroo with color, movement and disco lights.
Despite pressure on companies to verify vaccination certificates and QR code logins, Bungalow8 licensee Jeremy Fraser says administration is a small price to pay.
“You come into this industry because we love people and we just haven’t seen them, and now is the time when we need other people the most,†Fraser said.
“The new normal”
Marigold in Sydney’s Chinatown is a Sunday morning institution where hundreds of people come to eat dumplings ordered from carts.
While the restrictions will slowly increase capacity, manager Connie Chung says she misses the days of a full restaurant.
“They keep saying ‘the new normal’ – but I hope the new normal is back to what life was like before COVID,†she said.
Serving the community
During the lockdown, the Bankstown Sports Club was transformed into a vaccination center for South West Sydney, offering around 20,000 jabs.
Now, with the hub closed, restaurants reopened, and 600 employees reinstated, cautious visitors are returning.
“I think there’s probably still a bit of angst in the coming out community, but there were definitely people in the restaurants, and everyone seemed to be having fun,†said Marketing Manager Diana Pearce. .
The nonessential necessity
Gyms around the world are one of the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. Deemed too risky and non-essential, many have closed their doors for good.
Ashfield gym owners Chris Aslan and Mariam Iskander have used the Sydney lockdown to relocate and modernize their facilities – a place they are adamant should remain open if cases rise again.
“It’s essential for our physical and mental well-being and if we ever go back to a lockdown, they should reconsider that gyms are essential,†Mr. Aslan said.
