As social distancing restrictions and self-isolation measures become the way of life for the foreseeable future, for many, working from home has become the new normal.
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But for Stacey Fuller, working from home to stop the spread of coronavirus is simply not an option.
Not when her regular work duties are relied upon heavily by the larger community on a normal day, let alone in the middle of a global pandemic.
As a managing partner at the Capital Chemist branch in the Southlands shopping centre in Mawson, her services at work have been relied upon more than ever before.
"It feels like we were all tired at work from the beginning of the year with the bushfires being manic, and now we're facing coronavirus," Ms Fuller said.
"We're buggered at the end of a shift. We can only take it day by day."
The pharmacy manager is just one of thousands of essential workers across Canberra going to work each day in the wake of COVID-19.
And while they may not be on the frontline that's an emergency room or a hospital corridor, they're exposed to a frontline of a different kind, coming into contact with hundreds of people every day, all at a time when people are being told to stay home.
'It hasn't been easy'
As a place people come to when they're sick, Ms Fuller said working at a pharmacy does come with a level of concern.
"The biggest thing is people who come in and they're wearing a mask," she said.
"We ask them whether or not they have symptoms and why they're wearing a mask. If they say it's to protect themselves because they're on [immunosuppressant] medications or they're going through something like chemotherapy that's perfectly fine, but we always ask them every single time.
"It hasn't been easy and we definitely don't let people into the store if they have symptoms."
The measure is just some of the initiatives being brought in by the Southlands pharmacy along with other Capital Chemist branches across Canberra.
A triage desk has been set up at the front of the store with customers not allowed in except if they're receiving a flu shot.
Items such as over-the-counter medicine or prescriptions are handed out at the front of the store to customers.
Staff at the pharmacy have been split into two team with no one able to work alongside members of the opposite team in the event that a staff member has to go into isolation.
While staff have been given all their regular hours, the hours are across fewer days, meaning many work 12-hour shifts in order to keep the store running.
"The system has worked pretty well, and I think that customers and staff feel safer that we don't let people roam around the store," Ms Fuller said.
"It has been pretty busy because normally there's more people on at a busy time, but now there's less people on but they're rostered on all day.
"There's also a big clean down of the store at the start and end of the day, especially for a change over."
'People are genuinely thankful'
Among the other essential workers still going about their regular jobs on the frontline have been supermarket staff, who have faced relentless demand since panic buying started several weeks ago.
While stock levels for most items are slowly returning to normal, Andy Vaccaro says the biggest challenge in his job has been trying to find supplies for household staples.
The operations manager of Supabarn's Casey store, along with others across the ACT, said the number of customers visiting the supermarket has increased by 50 per cent in recent weeks.
"When the first wave of panic buying hit, it was the equivalent of Christmas Eve for a few days in a row," Mr Vaccaro said.
"We haven't seen anything like it."
As an essential service in these challenging times, the store will remain open, regardless of how coronavirus cases are tracking.
While there had been some trepidation among some staff about being in a workplace where hundreds of people pass through every day, Mr Vaccaro said it was reassuring to see an increase in the recognition of the work carried out by those in the supermarket.
"We've had a lot more positive feedback, people are genuinely thankful of the job that we have been doing," he said.
"We're just adjusting to the new normal. Our two biggest priorities have been to keep our team safe and trying to make sure we've got stock levels up and people don't have to panic buy.
"The biggest challenge for us has been finding alternative supply from our traditional channels.
"We've had to source some 12-kilogram bags because normal flour hasn't been as available."
Thankfully, Mr Vaccaro said the Casey store hadn't seen scenes of fighting in the aisles over toilet paper that have been filmed in other supermarkets across the country.
Such has been the demand on supermarkets, extra staff have been hired.
"It's been really pleasing to see such a step up, our guys have gone above and beyond."
'We've had to change'
While most people have been told to avoid communal areas and large outdoor spots, Emma Featherstone works there on a daily basis.
The general services officer with Transport Canberra and City Services regularly cleans areas around Gungahlin Marketplace and other shopping centres across Canberra's north.
Her work to make those areas as clean and as safe as possible has ramped up even further because of coronavirus.
"We've definitely had to change the personal protective equipment that we wear," she said.
"The types of gloves that we wear are now stronger, while other members of the team are wearing disposable overalls and face shields when they're cleaning touch points."
While cleaning work around major shopping centres has remained mostly the same in the past few weeks, the amount to clean up around community shops has increased.
She said while her daily job usually involved coming into contact with rubbish or dumped items that had been exposed to other people, that workplace aspect became far more serious due to coronavirus.
"That was in the back of my mind at first, but I have felt a lot safer knowing we're making as many precautions as possible," Ms Featherstone said.
"Some members of the public that I've seen they've been gathering together in large groups and I find that very concerning."
As an all-important essential worker carrying out cleaning jobs across Canberra, Ms Featherstone has been relied upon more than ever.
While Canberra, the rest of the country and the world is grappling with the unfolding pandemic, she said the best thing she can do is to keep on going with her job.
"At the beginning of the pandemic, I was panicking a lot, but there's only so much you can do before things become the routine," she said.
"As long as I keep on doing extra things to keep myself safe, it's ok for me to continue on with my regular routine."
- For information on COVID-19, please go to the ACT Health website or the federal Health Department's website.
- You can also call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
- If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000)
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