One year ago today Tasmania opened back up to the rest of the country.
For nearly two-and-a-half-years the state had travel restrictions in place, separating Tasmanians from family members and friends, and cutting off tourists from an economy heavily reliant on them.
During that time, Tasmania became one of the few places on earth with little to no COVID-19 in the community.
But after December 15, 2021, "fortress Tasmania" was suddenly letting it back in.
On the eve of the borders opening in 2021, the ABC spoke to a number of everyday Tasmanians about how they were feeling.
Now, for the anniversary, we caught up with them again.
'Mine was the worst when the COVID came'
When the borders were shut, flights in and out of Hobart airport virtually dried up.
Taxi driver Li Joy's livelihood relied on airport traffic.
"Ninety per cent, it's a financial crisis," he told the ABC last December.
Since the border opened, and flights returned he's been able to recoup some of his losses.
"Tasmania is a tourist place, and without tourists our economy would be really bad," he said.
"[Opening up] has made a big difference to taxi drivers, who can take more jobs and see more money flow."
In the confines of a taxi, surrounded by travellers and revellers, he couldn't avoid being exposed to COVID-19.
"I had a terrible experience actually. Mine was the worst in my family when the COVID came."
Mr Joy is a trained engineer, and also runs a workshop, a food van, and is in the final stages of a nursing degree.
Working in hospitals, he appreciated the strain COVID has placed on Tasmania's healthcare system. But he's also seen the pain of closed borders.
"I've seen people really struggling … especially if you've got family members in a different state and they can't travel to see their parents or relatives.
"I hope that by opening the borders that problem is solved, and I think most families are happy about that."
'It's quite stressful'
Nearly 200 Tasmanians have died with COVID-19 since the reopening, and thousands more have been hospitalised or have suffered long-term illnesses as a result of infection.
Since last December, healthcare workers have been enduring immense workloads to keep the system running.
It's something new nursing graduate, Persia Brooks, could not ignore.
"You constantly see articles on the mental health of healthcare workers, and I think it's something that's quite prevalent," she said.
"It is quite stressful … but it's more about being aware of it, and acting on it, and supporting your fellow workers."
When we spoke to her on a beach in Swansea in December 2021, Ms Brooks said she'd come to embrace the "stillness" of Tasmania without tourists.
Even after the borders opened, her ability to see friends and family on the mainland has been restricted by study.
"I'm looking forward to making a few trips up to Torres Strait and Sydney to see my friends," she said.
"It's just nice to be able to go out without having to feel worried you're going to pass on COVID to someone."
'We had a giant birthday party'
For 10-year-old Alondra Lisica it has been a strange couple of years.
The talented dancer was unable to see her grandparents and other extended family members on the mainland while the borders were shut.
Since December 15, she's been making up for lost time.
"This year I saw both sets [of grandparents] twice, uncles, aunties, and heaps of my cousins," she said, beaming.
"We had a giant birthday party."
But opening up has meant dancing in front of limited crowds and trying to negotiate schooling and socialising with COVID running rampant.
"At musical theatre and singing lessons you'd have to stand so far away and sing with a mask on, and your voice would get all stuffy," she said.
"It's not a weird thing for me to wear a mask, but also I feel like a lot of kids at school don't really feel like COVID exists anymore."
'Hopefully we're through the worst of it'
When the ABC spoke to Ulverstone business owner Sarah Fielding last December, she was finding keeping her garden centre open difficult.
The lack of travellers from the mainland resulted in a significant loss of income, and the constant threat of snap lockdowns or increased restrictions were taking a toll.
Since the state opened back up she has seen not only an improvement in business, but also, in the community's mood.
"Now that they're able to reconnect with their families there's just a lot of happier people around than a year ago," she said.
But running a small business during waves of infections, coupled with a labour shortage, hasn't been easy.
"We've had some challenges in trying to cover shop hours while staff are off, or their children have it. We just ran on a skeleton staff so that we weren't overlapping each other, and to minimise the potential risk.
"It does impact you, but hopefully we're through the worst of it."
She isn't bitter about what happened to her and her shop, but hopes we've seen the last of shut-outs and lockdowns.
"The government made the decisions that they thought were best at the time, but I think going forward we should keep them open," she said.
Information about Tasmania's current COVID-19 arrangements can be found on the Tasmanian government's coronavirus website.
