In every apocalypse movie there is always this montage of news footage of growing panic and unravelling of civil control. I seem to be watching this montage now in real time. I feel a growing sense of panic that our government is not acting boldly enough and timely enough to save our lives. When we all come through this at the other end, we will remember the leaders that have put the value of the economy over human lives.
Please, save people first, we can fix the economy afterwards.
I am fortunate that I am still working as a chef, over at Hogwarts. We still have over 200 students in residence and they have to be nourished through this crisis. Our student's dining experience has changed so much in only seven days.
This time last week, they can wake up, walk over to the Hotel Buffet and eat a leisurely breakfast of everything from fresh fruit, smoothies, bacon, eggs, sausages, hash browns, congee, noodles, miso, etc. For lunch and dinner they have the choice of the Campus Buffet or the Fine Dining (must book in).
By Monday, no longer were students allowed at the Hotel Buffet to reduce their risk of contact with travelling hotel guests. Instead they get a 'breakfast ration' consisting of milk, cereal, fruit cup, chocolate powder mix, coffe, tea, sugar, disposable utensils. Later we added bread, jams, vegemite, peanut butter, muesli bars, cheese and crackers. We kinda got reminded how much teenagers really eat. I remember being one and raising one so yeah I get it.
Also the Campus Buffet dining area was expanded to include classrooms upstairs and seating was designed to encourage social distancing. The Fine Dining seating was reduced to 2 pax per table for the same reason.
By Wednesday evening, all food was being served on take-away containers to be taken back to their rooms. Fine Dining is closed. The queue for the food is marked out on X's on the floor to ensure compliance with social distancing. On the plus side, the staff have posted 'suggested dance moves' along the queue, and it provides a welcome distraction from how far off the normal life has become in the time of COVID-19.
I am grateful to be working at a place where the leadership's response to this emergency is both decisive and swift. Why can't our political leaders do that?
