Today March 22nd- last year and this year

The day we heard the schools would closed down for the first time, 

the day the Australian government urged international travellers to fly home asap,

the last time we went to church- March last year was very memorable. 

And this is what I post on Facebook this day last year:

Weird newsfeed today, what a surreal Sunday.

Basically my Aussie Facebook friends who are posting today fall into 3 groups. All of them are in situations they have never been in before.

1. Those doing online church. I saw many photos of laptops and mention of how fun it was to wear PJs to church!

2. Those heeding the warning from Aus government to get back to Aus asap before it closes.

(Facing flight cancellations, new travel requirments like health certs/ x-rays and fears of getting sick along the way, the stress of quick goodbyes. Most hope to return in X amount of months but one traumatically had to pack up her whole life in a week. Those who are leaving have specific health/financial issues for leaving).

3. Those staying put in their host country.

(Feeling safer in isolation than travelling, but knowing they are away from good medical care. Yesterday a few of us set up a Fb group for those of us staying here, so comforting to connect with others here.)

Meanwhile, here we are at home with the handprints we made yesterday in the new cement near our front door.

And here we are in March 2021. A month into the biggest community transmission. Until 4 weeks ago there had only been around 400 Covid 19 cases in Cambodia. But just since Feb 20 it has gone up to 1753, and the first 4 deaths.  The first case in our province had some community overlap with us, so that felt like it was getting quite close. Then the day before yesterday a case from our commune was discovered so we suddenly had a travel ban on our area! I'm not sure how long for or what it will mean for us. So far its just meant Soeun had to cancel some meetings and I had to rush home before getting shut out!
Latest numbers in this article Cambodia's Covid tally- March 22 2021- Khmer times