Eased restrictions bring relief and anxiety in NSW

Social distancing orders in Australia are gradually being eased, meaning friends and families can reconnect in small groups for the first time in months. While this brings some relief from the loneliness of isolation, for many, the effects of the crisis still remain. 

Lara Ottignon, 26, admits that although the crisis has impacted her mental health, she has been reluctant to reach out for support. “The last thing I wanted was to spiral downwards,” she said. But an assumption that health services might be inundated made her hesitant.

Meeting up with friends in the park, Ottignon expressed that the easing of restrictions is both exciting and scary. “For me, it’s wild that in six weeks you can just completely change the way that you relate to people,” she said.

Future uncertainties in the job market

After returning from overseas, Ottignon had taken some time to look for what she called “meaningful work”. As the restrictions came into effect, she lost two temporary casual roles she had just secured. She said the pandemic made her realise how volatile the economy can be.

“This whole idea that people should work for themselves and have a small business and do what they want. It’s like, how quickly that can come crashing down,” she said.

Professor John Buchanan, head of business analytics with the University of Sydney Business School, said such large drops in the labour force early in one’s career can lead to market scarring. “Unless you stay out of the long-term employment domain, then you are marked for life,” he said.

Figures from the ABS show that employment dropped by 11.8 per cent for those aged 20-29 between the middle of March and the middle of April. This was exceeded only by those aged under 20 and those over 70.

“It’s the very young and the very old that have taken big hits in employment,” Buchanan said. “As for what comes next and their prospects for work, I’m pretty pessimistic there. Every industry has lost jobs, every industry. And that’s very unusual in the down turn.

For older workers, Buchanan said, “the impulse will be to retire, but whether the resources are there to sustain it is an open question.”

Missing family connections

For primary school teacher Gail Hallinan, 67, the decision to continue working is not so much a financial concern. “Being at home and being isolated, and having a job for me, has been really important,” she said, “it’s given me motivation and purpose.”

An autoimmune disorder puts Hallinan at a higher risk of serious illness should she come into contact with the virus. Despite schools returning to normal levels of attendance, her GP recommended that she remain at home for the foreseeable future.

Regarding the easing restrictions, she said, “It really doesn’t make much of a difference to me… I’m still very restricted until, you know, the numbers are basically zero.”

She said the isolation of lockdown has been frustrating and lonely. “[It’s] been very, very difficult not to be able to see the grandkids,” she said.

Dr Jeyasingam said ensuring that older Australians still have access to mental health services during the pandemic is a significant challenge. “We know that they’re more lonely, because there isn’t that connection to their families,” he said.

For Charlie Brookes though, the easing restrictions mean he can now spend time with his parents again, although, social distancing is still strictly enforced when he visits. “It’s weird feeling like a danger to them, but you miss them,” he said.