Give yourself a (news) break

Another day, another lockdown.

Businesses closed, juggling working from home and remote learning, unable to catch up with friends or see family, uncertainty about when we’ll be able to enjoy some sort of “normal” life again … the pressures of lockdown are wearing on us all.

That’s why, in this week's edition of the Advertiser, we decided to focus on the positive and give over the September 1 edition to the good stories happening in our community.

Hopefully this will provide a release for all of us from doomscrolling, especially with the ongoing Covid pandemic and the reports of conflict and disaster from around the world.

As we went to print, it was clear the current lockdown was going to be extended, although exactly what that will mean for all the areas of the state is still unclear.

What the government has made clear is until vaccination rates are much higher, restrictions on our lifestyle will continue.

It’s been so heartening to see locals put their weight behind a campaign to encourage vaccinations and those businesses, alongside the hardworking team at Bass Coast Health and local GP clinics and pharmacies deserve a round of applause.

The response from businesses to a call out for donations to help those in need, has also been heart-warming. 

While “bad news” might get the most attention, there’s good deeds happening all around us.

We might not all agree on the right way to deal with Covid, or the best way to get back to “normal”, but it’s important not to lose focus on the things we do agree on: that we all need family, friends, support, tolerance, respect, encouragement and love.