Life is starting to feel a little Old Testament - fire, flood, and now disease.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And what a difference a few days make. It was only last week people were making light of coronavirus and those stockpiling toilet paper.
Now it's been labelled a pandemic by the World Health Organisation and there's a growing angst in the community that at some point we might all be up the proverbial creek without a paddle ... or a bog roll.
Yesterday evening one case of COVID-19 was confirmed at Manning Hospital - the first on the Mid North Coast.
We're to practise "social distancing" in an effort to "flatten the curve" - as of this morning no public gatherings of more than 100 are allowed, by government decree. But the parameters are shifting daily.
School assemblies and outings have been cancelled. Sports seasons have quite possibly ended before they've even begun.
And our deep-seated cultural traditions - the Macksville Show and ANZAC day commemorations - have also fallen victim to the virus.
Our local supermarkets are the bellwether of the situation here in the Nambucca Valley and staff are saying it's like Christmas on crack.
Shelves are beginning to suffer the 'Mother Hubbard' effect, with national supply shortages biting.
This morning Woolworths in Nambucca had no chicken, mince, sausages, potatoes, toilet paper or tissues. And supplies were very low in the frozen vegetable, pasta and rice aisles.
The past two mornings up to 50 senior citizens have queued outside from 6.45am to take advantage of the special hour reserved for elderly and disabled people.
"This is the best idea they've had," one customer said. "It's really good for people like me."
Stan and Cheryl said they were hoping they could pick up a few things today they missed out on at 11.30am yesterday.
Allen Kidd was there to pick up a list of five items - but he was only able to source three, and had to settle for caster sugar over "the normal stuff".
Despite the Nambucca Valley having one of the highest rates of people in the 'high risk' category in Australia, most we spoke to were not actively worrying about contracting coronavirus, with many saying they thought we were placed well to weather the storm in Nambucca.
"But it's in the back of my mind," one woman said.
"I do worry about how bad it might get," Dot Barnett said.
One customer we spoke with yesterday said what was most worrying her was the rapid pace the liberties we often take for granted were being stripped away.
"It's amazing how quickly we've gone from a free and easy society to one where the government can control every aspect of our lives," they said.
"And I'm upset how quickly Aussies have descended into a rabble - fighting over toilet paper and knocking over our seniors."
Things will possibly get more frantic in the aisles before they get better, with Woolworths today announcing a restriction of two per transaction on all packaged goods (except fresh fruit and veg, meat, dairy, deli and bakery items).