Opinion
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There's no doubt about it - we all want to see the back of 2020. The year from hell, the global annus horribilis, we shout, be gone with you!
That's only natural but, without sounding like the prophet Jeremiah, we ought to temper our hopes for the new year lest our expectations are dashed. The pandemic, which has thrown 2020 into utter turmoil, will not recognise the clicking over of the Gregorian calendar from one year to the next.
If anything, it is more likely to opportunistically spread its contagion via the celebrations to mark the passing of this most horrible year. And that is likely to lead to more heartbreak in the year that follows.
Read more: COVID-19 testing ramps up in the Illawarra
Assisting the authorities in their efforts to put a dampener on New Year's Eve festivities is the weather. While we might bemoan the unseasonal cool and cloud, it does have a silver lining. It might discourage revellers from gathering en masse. The flipside to this is the temptation to host large indoor gatherings. Do not succumb to that temptation.
Tuesday's news that Wollongong has been touched by the latest COVID uptick should be sobering, especially seeing the locally acquired infection remains unlinked to the northern beaches cluster.
That alone should deter us from participating in the sort of New Year's Eve get-togethers to which we've become accustomed. But if it doesn't, the restrictions placed over Wollongong should. No one wants a hangover that includes nausea, headaches, regret - and a $1000 fine.
If anything, our approach to the coming of 2021 should be cautious - optimistic but at the same realistic. We should accept the vaccine won't be with us for some time and when it is, it won't be a silver bullet. We should also recognise that the incredible diligence we've shown throughout 2020 needs to be continued into 2021.
Sure, raise a glass with your family and small group of friends at midnight on December 31. Watch the fireworks on TV. But, above all, observe the rules and stay safe.
We need our wits about us as 2021 gets underway.
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