TWO weeks in hotel quarantine with a baby and a two-year-old may sound daunting, but for the Booth family it was a small sacrifice which allowed them to return home to Australia for Christmas.
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The family of four, including mother Sally who grew up in Lake Macquarie, are just one example of the many expats attempting to return home in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
They are also one of the lucky families who managed to get flights and make it over international borders to be reunited with loved ones in time for Christmas Day.
"We feel lucky, To be in a country that is taking COVID so seriously and has their people's welfare and safety as the number one priority," Mrs Booth said.
The Booth family have spent the past three years living in San Diego after father Steve, who is a member of the Australian Defence Force, was posted to the USA.
"The Australian Defence Force always provided the option to return home as COVID cases increased in the USA," Mrs Booth said.
"We entered our own lockdown in March after the birth of our second child and continued to isolate for most of the year. We chose to see out our posting and return on the original schedule."
They made us feel so proud to be Australian
- Sally Booth
While her children - two-year-old Stirling and nine-month-old Maggie - are enjoying the freedoms of their new Aussie life, meeting relatives for the first time, reuniting with family members and trying new treats like Milk Arrowroot biscuits, it is a far cry from how the family has spent the majority of the year.
Compulsory mask wearing and strict social distancing came into force in the United States when the pandemic hit at the start of 2020.
"We limited ourselves to grocery shopping and an extremely small social bubble," she said.
"The building we were living in created a COVID committee, providing rules and restrictions to keep the residence COVID safe. We spent a lot of our time walking in Balboa Park where we could social distance and get some fresh air."
America has recorded more than 18 million cases of COVID since the beginning of the pandemic, the majority in California where the Booth family lived. The couple and their children were assisted by the ADF and the Australian Embassy to fly home and went straight into two weeks quarantine in Mascot, Sydney. They have nothing but praise for their quarantine experience despite the challenges of entertaining their children for two weeks in a confined space.
"The food provided was delicious and nutritious with ample variety. We were routinely delivered special Aussie treats like Tim Tams and Fantales," she said.
"The hotel staff, medical team, police and military personnel were all incredibly friendly, professional, positive and helpful. They made us feel so proud to be Australian."
Each member of the family had a COVID-19 test on day two and day 10, which Mrs Booth said gave her peace of mind, especially when it came to 'freedom day' when they were leaving quarantine to be reunited with family and friends. They filled their hotel days by organising their new life in the Hunter, crafts and exercise for the kids and waving at family from the window of their apartment.
The family will now get to spend Christmas with loved ones and thanks to Australia's hardline COVID response they will enjoy far more social freedoms too.
"Although quarantine and lockdowns may be inconvenient for the few, the wider community benefits. Keep up the good work Australia."
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IN THE NEWS:
Jessica Brown
Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017.
Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017.
