| Living in Melbourne, I've been thinking a lot about hugs lately. Australia's second-largest city is currently in its sixth lockdown since the start of the pandemic, which coupled with other stay-at-home orders has given the country the dubious honor of seeing more lockdowns than anywhere other than China. The last time I got a real hug was from my dad back in April. That was right before Lockdown 4. What does six lockdowns look like? It's more than 220 days of only being allowed to go out for groceries, medical treatment, a Covid test or limited amounts of exercise—and don't stray more than three miles (5 kilometers) from home. Sure, they were interspersed with periods of pre-2020 style freedom—once the stringent curbs had wiped out all cases we could enjoy the cafe culture, sporting events and cultural life that has made Melbourne the world's most livable city, mask-free. But then another infection would emerge, and the restrictions would be slapped back in place. Twenty months into the pandemic, it's wearing us down. As the rest of the world lives with Covid, Australia is stuck. To outsiders, its situation seems OK: The country of 25 million has seen fewer than 79,000 cases since the pandemic began. Of the 4.64 million people who've died from Covid-19 worldwide, just 1,116 were here.  People wearing face masks cross Bourke Street in Melbourne. Photographer: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images AsiaPac We've done this by having zero tolerance for the virus, a strategy that's proving difficult to move on from. Emboldened by stints entirely Covid-free, Australia didn't prioritize ramping up vaccinations until the more wily delta variant got through its border curbs, seeding an outbreak that continues to burn in places like Melbourne and Sydney despite the restrictions, defying attempts to eliminate it. That's forced a realization that the Covid Zero strategy that made Australia a haven for most of the pandemic has reached its limit. Now, the parts of the country that have accepted that are having to get used to higher caseloads and the prospect of more deaths as the price of moving beyond lockdowns, even as record numbers of people line up for shots. With just 34% of Australia's population fully vaccinated, the curbs will continue in some form. To those in Europe and the U.S., Melbourne looks like a time warp of 2020: exhausted families juggling work and home schooling, young adults like me who desperately want to see loved ones or just have a drink with a friend. The stop-start lockdowns have created a crisis of mental health: Lifeline, a charity that offers 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention, saw the four busiest days in its 57-year history last month. Going from counting every case to living with Covid is a vast psychological shift in a place where a lot of folks don't know anyone who's even had the virus, let alone died from it. Australia is headed for a pivotal—and fraught—few months. We could really use a hug.—Matthew Burgess | 
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