“Science is the key to everything,” says a Brazilian lawyer who lives in Newcastle, UK – health

Gilherme Dorf, Melbourne, Australia

Old habits

“After a very difficult year, we almost return to normal life. In our daily life, we practically do not feel the presence of the disease, but we are reminded all the time that there is something, we have to distance ourselves. Here, almost everyone uses public transportation, going to work. And, entertainment options. It’s very similar to what was there before. I think the most specific moment, when we remember the presence of the virus, apart from the constant ads, is when we get into public transportation. Then we have to use the mask. Other than that, it’s impressive. It seems that we have already forgotten some of the teachings, and this is the negative part. But everyone is going back to the habits we had before the epidemic. It is almost a thing of the past. “

Trust in tomorrow

“It is difficult to talk about something from the past because here there is a great understanding that disease is something very volatile and can come back at any time. Once again, government announcements are still very much present. But it can be said that it has become a thing of the past because we can actually meet With friends, and there are really big events, we can really stay home without masks. It’s a very different moment than we lived last year. Now is a very positive moment. Everyone is very confident. “

When in doubt, close

There are two different perspectives. Since the beginning of the year the situation has been well controlled, but on the other hand, we are witnessing something difficult to explain to Brazil. Every time there is any kind of uncontrolled increase in the number of cases [de covid-19]And when I talk out of control, I mean ten new cases, which is what the city did, and it happened about two months ago, and it’s building lockdown. A tighter lockdown could be imposed, in a short period of time, until you understand the consequences of this. ”

Eight or eighty

“At the beginning of the year, we were living an almost normal life, and suddenly, the week we were having the Australian Open (February) here, there was a strict lockdown for five days until the contact check was achieved, if there were people, and the disease would not spread. “After now, then he returned to his normal life. So, despite the fact that since the beginning of this year we have a well-controlled situation, from time to time we have these memories. Then it moves from 8 to 80. From normal life to the most stringent rules for containing infection.”

Feeling of group

“The Australian government is very concerned about the new variants of the virus. They understand that it is very different from what happened last year. In Australia, it is a very specific situation. The government and the population are very cautious and conservative. When you have to come together to do something for the common good, then … You weren’t leaving the house, people would call the police and inform if the neighbor was meeting a friend.There were so many wonderful people who were on the street for no reason and with everything shut down. There was no reason to go to the street. There was nothing to do. It worked very well. ”

Vaccination is in slow steps

“Another very different thing here is vaccination, which is very slow. I think this is happening even because the numbers of infections are being very controlled. The government is in no hurry. They are very cautious about choosing the best vaccines. Now, the priority groups have been vaccinated,” Even health professionals rather than the elderly.But when you compare it to Brazil, it sounds paradoxical, but here at a very slow pace.Last year, everyone really wanted to be vaccinated, but it looks like people weren’t in a hurry last year. extremely good “.

Adjust the scale

“Regarding Brazil, it is always sensitive to speak, because the situations are very different. It is difficult to compare. But the main message for Brazilians is to tell people who are able to stay at home, not to depend on going out every day to work, and that they stay at home. People should know. The virus is real, it kills, and there are practical ways to protect yourself. Wearing a mask, not exposing yourself, and keeping a social distance. These are the things that work. But there is also an important point, which is inequality. People like to talk about cultural differences between Brazilians. And Australians, in fact, there is one more thing, but one more thing: It’s easy to stay at home when you receive significant emergency assistance. This is not the case in Brazil. I am not an Australian citizen, I have received assistance that differs from citizen assistance here. They received generous amounts of money. It’s too much to stay at home and stick to the rules. Their biggest problem was mental health. But few people are hungry. ”

State presence

The government helped the citizen a lot and also in the business sector. It was a moment that made clear what the role of the state is. There was even a split between Australians and immigrants, who did not receive assistance from citizens. But I still, for example, had access to government government assistance for international students, who are a huge company here. I got it through college, and it’s also a huge mega business. The past year has been very difficult for me and the help doesn’t make up for what I missed, but it was at least a big boost. It showed that I wasn’t completely surrounded by butterflies. “

Sao Paulo is safe

“I lived here for nearly three years. We arrived during the 2018 World Cup. Melbourne is very similar to Sao Paulo. Multicultural, very urban. The issue of sports, health and green spaces is very present. Melbourne has a population of 5 million, and it is the second largest.” The largest city in the country by population, after Sydney. It is very reminiscent of São Paulo. Its difficult to compare, because São Paulo has 20 million and here it goes very well. In Melbourne the government is very present. It is a very safe city. There are sporting events. A wonderful “.

Heavy hand at the border

“Another thing completely different about Brazil is the border issue. International borders were closed nearly a year ago. There are many Australians who have been away from their homes for about a year. And when there are peak cases, because people are gradually coming back, they are also closing the country’s borders.” It’s a heavy hand, but everyone understands it. ”

Fruit harvest

“The last interesting thing is that the government makes ads so if you have any symptoms, look for health centers to test if you have coronavirus. The government is providing additional help so that the virus does not spread and spread. This helps with social disconnection. I have worked with events, And big groups, and today I always work with the same people, and there is training to care, the places are more in control. Nowadays, less, but at the beginning of the year when it closed, it was total. Today we are reaping the fruits of that rigor. And there are a lot of foreign companies that want to come. Here. This is how my company in film production feels. There are productions from the United States that want to come. Look, we should also say that we are here, blessed, but we feel the situation in Brazil. Our families, our friends, in Brazil. We are suffering. And so that we feel a little ashamed that we took advantage of this here, because a part of us is still there. “