Although the most optimistic Novocastrians were hoping they might remain free from the virus and go about their lives and business in a manner that would be the envy of those in Greater Sydney, others believed the arrival of the Delta strain of COVID-19 was inevitable.

And that belief was largely due to a set of rules offering more loopholes than corporate tax legislation and the likelihood of selfish people purposely ignoring the rules.

"Just nicking up the M1 to have a look at a place in Merewether that I might or might not buy. Some bargains in Merewether, mate, nice day too and there's no lockdown!"

"Just going to do some work in Newcastle for bit, mate. I'm totally essential, I think."

"Party on the beach up near Newy, mate, she'll be right."

Regardless of the circumstances in which it got here, it got here. Frustrating. Disappointing. Selfish. These were the keywords featuring in the more generous analysis doing the rounds after lockdown was announced by Premier Berejiklian last Thursday. We had hoped our luck - and it was luck - would continue to outrun the virus. But ask any gambler - luck runs out.

Wickham's Michelle Lobb spoke for many when she told the Newcastle Herald (Word on the Street, 6/8/21) that "It was always going to come up here, it's just common sense."

And you know it's a big deal when something happening in Newcastle - other than rugba league - gets major coverage from Sydney media. The Sydney Morning Herald wrote (It was a matter of when, not if': Anxiety in the Hunter runs high as lockdown begins, 5/6/21) that "Business Hunter chief executive Bob Howe (sic) said residents had long anticipated the Sydney outbreak would reach the region. 'It's a rather odd feeling,' he said. 'It wasn't a matter of if it was going to get here, it was a matter of when. But now that it's here the preparedness has caught us a bit off guard.'" That report might have got Bob Hawes' name wrong, but at least there was no mention of the people of the Steel City having a history of strength and resilience.

We can all be grateful for small mercies in COVID-19 times.

Even Hunter New England Health's usually carefully measured Dr David Durrheim said on radio last Friday that "we would prefer if it (the virus) was stuck down in Sydney ...". The public health physician - who has regularly made himself available to local media - immediately followed that claim by saying "we'd prefer the virus was eliminated". Me too, but...

The double whammy of angry comes after the unleashing of the virus from suspected unauthorised persons leaving Greater Sydney came on top of the revelation that vaccine slated for use in the Hunter had been redirected to Sydney. Given the deep, ongoing sentiment in the region that the Hunter doesn't get our fair share, many Newcastle people were fuming.

And to think just a few days earlier, there was a meme doing the rounds: "Newcastle. So s--t even COVID-19 won't visit". Whoopsies.

COVID NEWS:

Shortly after the announcement of the lockdown last Thursday, I dragged myself away from the Olympics on the box and went to the Newcastle mall to grab a few things. Not toilet paper.

A man not wearing a mask - and with either a tanned complexion or a blood pressure condition - was in the queue for spring rolls at a food truck. Overhearing a masked conversation about the impending lockdown, he asked if my acquaintance and I had heard about a dude in Canada who had his charges of not complying with some law to do with COVID-19 dropped by the prosecution.

According to man in the queue, the bloke had the charges dropped because the prosecution couldn't produce the virus, therefore there was no evidence, and therefore COVID-19 didn't exist. "Look it up," he said after observing rolling eyes above the masks.

There's a lot of them thar types about the place.

Newcastle will have to learn to live with the virus, but learning to live with the non-believers, the deniers and the people who watch, listen and repeat rubbish from conspiracy platforms in the locky country might prove to be just as difficult.