Many in the Eurobodalla Shire will have mixed feelings contemplating the influx of holidaymakers already underway.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Businesses reliant on the tourism dollar - after a shocker of a year - will be hoping the coming two weeks will help put them back on track.
Other residents will be dreading a fresh round of COVID-19 infections as Sydney heads south.
Some will fall into both camps.
Sydneysiders have had a tough time of it and will be desperate to give their families some relief. So let's all do it safely.
We can take heart that no-one else has been reported as testing positive after a Sydney taxi driver visited several South Coast hospitality venues this month - including one in the Eurobodalla Shire.
This suggests social distancing measures are working. Social distancing is going to be a bigger ask from now on as the shire's population swells, but we cannot let our guard down.
Two words that might save a life: MASK UP.
Researchers are learning more about the insidious effects of this virus. The loss of smell so many infected patients have reported has an even more worrying side.
Medical researchers know that the Spanish flu which followed World War One was itself followed by a wave of Parkinson's disease - a symptom of which is also loss of smell.
Today, researchers fear that damage to the cells which allow us to detect scent could indicate more serious damage to neurological cells - and may predispose patients to developing Parkinson's disease.
Our shire has roughly double the national average of people aged more than 65 years.
We are more vulnerable and we have not one intensive care bed.
Please, visitors from areas where COVID-19 has been more prevalent, take every precaution to prevent the spread of a virus you may inadvertently have brought with you.
We doubt any visitor has ever intended to bring the virus with them - but that is why we must all take extra care.
Supermarkets have been progressively more crowded in recent weeks - but few customers have been observed wearing masks. Hats off to the staff at Bunnings and other businesses who have been masked up for weeks - it's hot, uncomfortable - and will save lives.
