Irish and the Virus! An Irish-born West Australian was one of the very first people in the state to register as a confirmed case of novel Coronavirus. He reached out to Irish Scene to share his story because he wanted to give hope to others worried about catching it. But the man - an active member of the community - asked to be identified only as Jack, because he has experienced that a certain amount of ‘stigma’ comes with having had COVID-19, which he didn’t expect. “I visited New York in early February as I have family there,” said Jack who is now a long term resident in Perth. “My usual stint as always is to get together with my son, daughter and grandchildren. I had planned a five week visit, as I do every year. I moved to New York when I was sixteen or seventeen so it’s always been home to me. We have always had a romance, myself and New York. So I always feel like I’m leaving someone I love when I leave her. I can almost imagine a tear in Lady Liberties eye. I love every moment of my time there. The pulse, the excitement, the whole melting pot of dreamers making dreams come true. I visit old friends, ex-prize fighters, retired actors, street poets and painters who speak through their paints and brushes, not for fame or fortune but for expression to speak to those who just want to share art and beauty. I catch up with their lives, I love the banter between us, it’s loud, sometimes profane but always friendly because we truly miss each other. This trip was cut short however because of this virus. Places hadn’t quite shut down yet but people were very aware that something was coming. I stayed in Queens and only visited Manhattan twice. I went to the legendary White Horse Tavern where Dylan Thomas ended his days*. Many people were masked and the pandemic hadn’t really hit hard yet. I found myself coughing without any rhyme or reason. I immediately isolated myself in my in-laws furnished basement for fear of spreading what I feared might be the worst. I booked an early plane ticket back to Perth,
travelling business class to keep to myself. I arrived here on February 27th, got tested on the 28th and tested positive on the 29th.” The very next day, Western Australia recorded its first Coronavirus death. Chief Health Officer Dr Andrew Robertson announced that a 78-year-old man died in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in the early hours of the morning from COVID-19-related complications. The man - a prominent figure in the travel sector in Perth and his wife had tested positive to the disease and had been evacuated from the Diamond Cruise Ship and airlifted on February 21 from Darwin to Perth, where he was getting treatment in isolation at ‘Charlies’. By March 5 there were just three confirmed cases in Western Australia, all of which were people who had contracted the illness overseas. On March 10, three COVID clinics opened at three metropolitan Perth hospitals, including ‘Charlies’, and hundreds of people queued up to be tested from day one. Back in Perth, Jack - whose symptoms were a dry cough and fatigue - went into isolation, and the authorities checked to make sure he was doing the right thing. “Police come to the top of the driveway three times a week to check naturally that I am obeying the isolating rules,” Jack said. “But I must say in regards to the police, they always ask how I am and it’s heartfelt. They don’t ask out of duty but concern. I have kept busy around the place as I am restless by nature but eventually the fatigue just takes me out but it is a beautiful thing to finally rest. I know there are people in worse condition than myself so I pray for them and those who experienced lost ones. This is a tough one but nothing we can’t win. Perth is probably one of the most isolated cities in the world, but in these particular circumstances that is a plus. If anything, this whole thing makes me think of how
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