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Key Pandemic Lessons Australia Can Learn From Europe’s Summer

Like an influencer to a precariously photogenic clifftop, Europeans were this year drawn to the beach in spite of government warnings the pandemic was ongoing.Perhaps not coincidentally, we are now seeing The Virus rear its ugly head again, everywhere from Spain to England.As The New York Times reported yesterday, Europe, which once compared favorably to the United States in its handling of the pandemic, “is being engulfed by a second wave.”

“With an average of more than 100,000 new infections per day over the past week, Europe now accounts for about one-third of new cases reported worldwide.”

This comes after several European countries shrugged off their lockdowns and flung open their borders, engendering the sense people could return to normal (Czech nudists, for instance, were told they could keep their tops off but must keep their masks on).Since then, “In the face of intense political pressures, European leaders have been reluctant to impose new, economically damaging lockdowns, often opting for the lightest possible measures,” The New York Times reports.

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However, Spaniards’ summer sojourns and Britons’ beach bumbles may not have played such an elemental role in the resurgence of cases as you might think.As The New York Times reports, “Public health experts have long warned that the virus could roar back when the days grew colder, driving people indoors, where the risk of transmission is far greater.”Is it possible then, for those of us on the other side of the world now watching the thermometer go up, to enjoy summer? The answer is a yes – with caveats.To help us do just that are a number of summer pandemic lessons we ought to learn from Europe. The first is that effective contact tracing and a clear roadmap for an impatient population are both crucial, if we want to avoid becoming an inpatient population…Traveller illustrates this point with the case study of Spain: “On September 8, Spain notched up a new milestone when it became the first European country to record more than half a million coronavirus cases. With infection rates higher than France, the UK and every other European country, coronavirus tests have indicated positive for almost one in 10 of those tested.”“Government officials have pointed the finger at the country’s youth who have been partying, socialising, celebrating with friends and families and disregarding rules around social distancing. Infections spread in the home are believed to be responsible for around 50 per cent of cases.”“Spain’s response to the crisis has been piecemeal, with much of the fine detail left to regional jurisdictions. Track and trace procedures are neither uniform nor rigorous. When someone tests positive, authorities have difficulty tracing their contacts. Many parts of the country, such as Madrid, where cases have been rising rapidly, have been slow to reimpose lockdown measures such as limiting gatherings to a maximum of 10.”“The lesson,” according to Traveller, is that “the leisure time and conviviality that come with summer holidays are the time when people are most likely to intermingle and ignore social distancing.” This means “effective contact tracing, a single set of coronavirus protocols that applies to a whole country, effective communication and a road map that gives the population a clear picture of what lies ahead” are essential.RELATED: Iconic Photo ‘Reveals’ Why Sex Pilgrims Are Flocking To This Italian IslandAnother point to note is that Spain’s surge in infection numbers has predominately been driven by younger people (in late March the average age of COVID-19 cases was 59; in mid-September, it was 38). This has been mirrored all over Europe.

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The lesson from this is that social distancing, masks, testing and contact tracing should strictly apply – equally – to everyone – even those less vulnerable should they catch the virus.Another lesson to take on board is not to let up lockdowns too quickly (something Australia doesn’t appear to be in any danger of). According to Italy’s health experts, Traveller relates, “the country’s relative success is due to the country’s rigorous lockdown, imposed earlier and for longer than in France and Spain.”“Italy only relaxed its tight restrictions on September 20 to allow up to 1000 fans to attend sporting events. In France meanwhile, as many as 5000 people per venue are allowed in shows, cinemas and casinos and stadiums have been permitted to host the same number since July 11,” (Traveller).RELATED: Iconic French Riviera Photo Reveals The Freedom Europeans Have No One Else DoesThat said, there is also an argument that – to a small degree – there is an element of Europe’s bold (if not defiant) attitude we can learn from too. Purely economically speaking, providing the case numbers don’t rise so high as to overwhelm the hospital system (which would then screw the economy even worse), it would benefit Australia to ease restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so.Mental health workers have warned of the consequences of the lockdown in Melbourne, urging officials to let up as soon as safely (and sensibly) possible. As the ABC reports, “When the Victorian Government locked down several public housing towers, Lifeline saw a 22 per cent increase in calls from the state.”

“When stage 4 restrictions were announced, the calls from Victorians jumped by 30 per cent.”

Finally, rigorous airport testing is another feature we’d be mad to stop doing, if countries like the UK in Europe’s experience is anything to go by.

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Though travellers arriving at UK airports from overseas are required to self-isolate for two weeks (unless they are coming from a country on the exemption list), the UK government’s own scientific advisory group has reported that less than 20 per cent comply, Traveller reports.“Coupled with the lack of airport testing, compliance breaches allow the virus to spread. It’s also been established that those who break the self-isolation protocols are unlikely to report those who they might have come into contact with in order to lessen the severity of the breach,” (Traveller).Who knows, perhaps, despite our deepest suspicions, a heady beach club (with marked out social distancing) in Bondi is just what we need?

Samantha Jayne, Relationship Expert and Advisor to Channel 10’s The Bachelor, told DMARGE emotional horniness is more specific than loneliness, and that Australia (and much of the world at large) is now experiencing it on an unprecedented scale, thanks to the rise of technology, as well as the distancing demands of 2020.

“Emotional horniness is a deep desire to want to feel loved, validated and special. It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone wants someone to have their back… lean on and share the simple pleasures with.”

“Good times and bad times. Without an emotional connection, you might as well be dating a robot, it’s empty and meh!”

“Just like sexual horniness emotional horniness can be overwhelming and leave [you] on edge,” Jayne said.

If your needs aren’t being met it can lead to feeling depressed and, according to Jayne, “really is just another fancy word for loneliness but loneliness on a relationship level.”

“Even people with FWB experience emotional horniness because meaningless sex is everywhere.”

Fortunately, if you’re feeling emotionally horny, there are some positive actions you can take to remedy your situation, Jayne told us.

“Get in touch with feeling good within yourself, meet your needs personally. I don’t mean masturbate like crazy because that’s never going to work and will probably just lead to blisters and emptiness.”

“What I mean is fill your own emotional void, figure out what is going on. Why are you feeling empty; lonely? Is there pain that needs to be healed? Stop destructive behaviour such as alcohol, drugs, overeating or excessive porn. Instead get emotionally connected with friends, family and people that make you feel good. Learn to trust people and yourself.”

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“Become the best version of you, exercise, get outdoors, start reading inspirational books, look for role models that inspire you, people in your life or celebrities, or if you can’t think of anyone write down what you would like your ideal life to be. When you’re feeling better get out and online – start meeting new people.”

“Be proactive.”

“Keep going until you have success because if you persist it will pay off. One of my favourite quotes is: ‘activity breeds success.’ If you fill the void you’ll be able to have a healthy loving relationship, which is one of the biggest human desires, building trust, empathy, better sexual connection and out of this world passion meeting each other’s needs, wants and giving you an abundance of energy and happiness.”

If you’re in a relationship and you’re still ’emotionally horny,’ Jayne recommends you look at when this first happened and “rewind to a time when you were happy.”

“What did you do differently? Start implementing those things to see if there is a change. Get out on a date night, discover each other’s love languages, get outdoors, go on an adventure, plan a weekend away, have some wine, laugh, bring back the romance and if all of that still fails then look at whether the relationship is right for you.”

“Ultimately you want to be happy because being lonely in a relationship is worse than being single.”

“Always look at how you can change things, how you have contributed to the dynamic and put the actions into place to change that,” Jayne added. “If you blame the other person it is very disempowering and leaves you stuck. Sometimes it’s better to be wrong and fix things than to be stubbornly right and end up in the same scenario with another person.”

According to Jayne, we are at a point in history where we may be more emotionally horny than ever, “Especially with the mix of social media, coronavirus and more and more people connecting virtually.”

“Not to mention the boost in narcissists out there and people are afraid of getting hurt emotionally. More and more people I speak to struggle living with the fear of getting hurt so they live in their heads, they worry about what a person will do and their stops an emotional connection which leads to no relationship which then leads to more emotional horniness.”

“Seriously whilst technology has its benefits it has got more people in their heads and people need to be touched. We need physical contact to release the love cuddle hormone ‘Oxytocin,’ to release cortisol from our bodies. This improves mental and physical wellbeing.”

The Sydney Morning Herald has also reported on loneliness in Australia, writing in September, “Addicted to our smartphones, alienated by materialism, cynical about politics and disconnected from the wider community: modern life has made many of us feel more isolated than is healthy.”

“Then the world went into lockdown – and the age of loneliness turned chronic.”

The experts at VicHealth have called loneliness a “new public health challenge.” Likewise, high end escort Samantha X has previously confirmed to DMARGE the real reason many men seek sex outside of their relationships is out of a desire for a (or another) emotional connection.

On this topic, Jayne warns apps like Only Fans, downloaded like the plague during this time of… plague… are “total band-aid solutions.”

The users of Reddit also provided those feeling emotionally horny with some smart advice.

“Go get a massage,” one wrote. “When you’re single and trying not to make bad decisions out of loneliness, 90 minutes of therapeutic non-sexual touch focused entirely on your needs can be profoundly soothing.”

“Hard at the moment with Covid, but go take some salsa, swing or other partner dance classes. They’re usually around $15 for an hour and you’ll be passed around every 2 minutes into the arms of a new partner, face to face, working together to figure out some new fun step. A terrific way to get some close physical human contact in another non-sexual way that’s just warm and simple and pure fun. Even though you’re not going to hunt down romance, it’s POSSIBLE you’ll hit it off with someone and have a perfect new hobby in common.”

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“Go to a yoga class. The stretching will relax your body tension, ease some stress, and the view of fit healthy bodies stretching all around you will remind you that you’re alive in the middle of a vibrant, exciting world filled with attractive possibilities. Again, don’t treat it like a hunting ground; do it to feel yourself grow stronger and less flustered. But again, it’s POSSIBLE you might catch someone’s eye and chat while putting your shoes on afterward.”

“The keys here are [sic] get out of your house, explore opportunities for both non-sexual human touch and personal physical care/development. You’ll feel more centered, less lonely, with more opportunities and less anxiety.”

“Go forth audaciously, son.”

Others suggested therapy and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (not necessarily in that order).

“Start taking a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class. You’re not going to meet women there (rarely, and they do not go to be hit on), but the combination of intense exercise, learning to be comfortable and succeed in the most dangerous situations, and the constant close contact may satisfy an unconscious need for contact and it just clears your mind. I’m not a BJJ Is My Religion guy, but a lot of people will say they use it as therapy.”