2 yrs, 8 mths ago

Covid-19 = Closure of Priceline Stores :'(

So as you are probably all aware, Victoria has been hit hard by Covid over the past 16 months & we have just entered our 5th lockdown 🙁

The impact of these lockdowns is particularly damaging to our rural areas. I walked in to my local shopping center, which is in the next town, to find our Priceline store having a Closing Down Sale. Although I was thrilled to benefit from the massive discounts as they worked to clear a full shop of products, I am devastated to see them go.

It was so heartbreaking to see just about every second shop closed or closing down and there doesn’t seem to be an end to this virus in sight.

I feel like I’m cursed with the timing of these lockdowns!

Lockdown #1 – My sons 18th & My brothers 50th Birthday’s Cancelled. My son had a horrific car accident & we couldn’t even see him in hospital until the next afternoon & even then it was limited to one person for an hour per day.

Lockdown #2 – My father-in-law moved into a nursing home the day before it hit, leaving him alone to adjust & unable to visit or see him for his birthday. My mother-in-law suffered a heart attack & again we were limited to one person per day for visiting hours. My daughters 16th & 20th birthdays cancelled due to ongoing restrictions.

Lockdown #3 – Father-in-laws funeral limited to 10 people (due to restrictions at the hospital while he was dying, we couldn’t be there with him & we were limited to one person per day again so myself & my children never got to say goodbye) My son’s 19th (18th 2.0) was cancelled due to ongoing restrictions on gatherings.

Lockdown #4 – Tragically lost my cousin & the day before his funeral the lockdown hit & his funeral was also limited to 10

Lockdown #5 – My daughters 21st is only a few weeks away & by the look of the growing case numbers & exposure sites our lockdown could very well be extended & if not, more than likely restrictions on gatherings will put an end to her celebrations again. My nephew is also expecting him first child (my first great nephew) any day now & sadly we have no idea when we will be allowed to meet him :'(

Throughout all these lockdowns I have been stood down or received limited shifts with no income support due to being employed by a government agency so no job keeper for me & no option to work from home.

I am painfully aware that there are many people out there that have suffered imaginable pain & hardship well beyond my own. I want you all to know that no matter what you are facing, you are not alone xx

12 comments 32 voices

Replies

  • 2 yrs, 8 mths ago

    Oh Helen I’m so sorry. I’m in VIC too and in Lockdown 0.5 and it is tough. Take care lovely and hopefully, everything gets better for you and your family.

    • 2 yrs, 8 mths ago

      Thank you Omyara

      Our struggles are nothing compared to a lot of others out there, but I do have everything crossed that my daughter will get to have her 21st celebration.

      Sending love & strength your way x

  • 2 yrs, 8 mths ago

    Oh God, Helen! I feel for you & everyone doing it tough due to these restrictions. I’ve believed for a long while that we’ll be going into a worldwide economic depression after COVID. So many businesses & individuals are struggling.

    The 10 person limit at funerals is so cruel. When I saw that on the news at the start of the first lockdown, I remember thinking how awful that would be. I had no idea that it would affect me then. I haven’t spoken about Mum’s funeral on the forum. My extended family will have a memorial get-together when it’s safe for everyone to travel without worrying about quotas, masks & social distancing. Whenever that’s liable to be, I can’t guess!

    My condolences to you for your FIL & cousin. I hope your MIL & son are on the mend. Congratulations on your expected great-nephew! I hope you can meet him soon.

    Keep safe everyone – & do your best to keep sane, too!

    • 2 yrs, 8 mths ago

      My deepest condolences for the loss of your mum & I am so sorry you were also impacted by the heartbreaking funeral restrictions. I hope that it wont be too long before you can give her the send off she deserves & celebrate her life with your friends & family.

      My MIL has recovered well from her heart attack & is adjusting to life on her own. As for my son, it is a miracle he walked away from the wreck so we are not dwelling on the lasting effects too much. Unfortunately he sustained injuries that prevent him from doing any heavy lifting, meaning he lost his apprenticeship. He has been battling depression & is having a rough time finding anything else due to the amount of people looking for work. But he is young & we are still able to support him at home so we are hopeful something will come up & he will find his feet again.

      I was raised to always look for the silver lining in everything. We may not be able to live our normal lives at the moment but we are spending more time than ever together as a family. Now that my children are older, they have their own lives to live & I find more often than not my husband & I are left with an empty house. With the resent floods we were without power for 4 days, which was spent catching up on each others lives, reminiscing about the past & playing board games by candlelight. We all loved it so much that we have started up our games night again 🙂

  • 2 yrs, 8 mths ago

    So Sorry to hear the many ways the lockdowns have affected you and your family. The hard times so much harder and the good times postponed, delayed or cancelled.

    I think sometimes when it is hard on everyone, we feel guilty to complain, but you have suffered so much grief, setbacks and dissapointments with no end in sight. Melbourne has been hit the worst, I am in Sydney and whilst we are in a lockdown now, I felt devasated for my melbourne friends because you have all had it so much worse, I do feel that Melbourne has a stronger sense of community and spirit as a result. You will get through this and there will be so much to celebrate on the other end.

    • 2 yrs, 8 mths ago

      Yes you are so right. So many are suffering and there are people out there that have it 100 times worse & my heart breaks for them. I usually just sweep it all under the rug & push through but obviously I needed to vent a little seeing what started out as a post about the closure of my Priceline store turned into a bit of rant about covid life 🙂 Despite all the difficult times I am very lucky to have a husband who is employed full-time & has the ability to work from home if needed, so we have been able to pay our bills & put food on the table. There are so many out there that haven`t been so lucky 🙁

  • 2 yrs, 8 mths ago

    It is so sad to see all the disruption and pain this is causing peoples lives. I’m watching it all from Perth, happy this is not affecting us but imagining what it would be like if it did, and feeling guilty in some way because I am living my life without any disruption when so many others are suffering.

    After our first lockdown , the only really big and proper lockdown we had ,a nail bar and cafe never reopened in our small local shopping centre. I guess some places are on a tight margin and can’t really cope with a loss of trade even for a short period of time. I am surprised that unemployment figures are so low in Australia right now, where are these people getting a new job I wonder? .

    You are definitely not feeling it alone, both within your state and out of it – directly or indirectly Hopefully a small distraction like BH forums helps in some way xx

    • 2 yrs, 8 mths ago

      Thanks Lisa.

      I`m so glad you are not being impacted so don`t feel guilty.

      • 2 yrs, 7 mths ago

        So sorry to hear what you’ve gone through Helen.My uncles funeral was on yesterday and we couldn’t go because of covid so my family and I watched it on live streaming on you tube.It’s always sad when you have a loss in the family.

      • 2 yrs, 7 mths ago

        So sorry for your loss Tilly. I hope your extended family can get together soon to celebrate your uncles life xx

      • 2 yrs, 7 mths ago

        Thank you Helen

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