EVER wondered what the world is like in Horsham's English counterpart?
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Josie Taylor has been living near Horsham, in the south east of England, for the past several years.
Ms Taylor described her Horsham as "small to medium" sized. But while that may be true in English parlance, with a population of 142,217, England's version of Horsham would be the 16th largest city in Australia if it was transported down under; it's smaller than Cairns but bigger than Toowoomba, Darwin and Ballarat.
The current news on the other side of the world is, of course, currently dominated by a familiar topic - the COVID-19 pandemic.
But there are several stark differences in each town's situation.
Firstly, England is mostly out of a country-wide lockdown that was imposed in March.
While some hotspots remain in a lockdown similar to Victoria's current situation, most people across England can still have a friend over for dinner, sit in the park to enjoy the sunshine, or enjoy a sit-down beverage at a pub.
"It's still not normal. It doesn't quite feel normal, but we've got a few more options now," Ms Taylor said.
"There's still a one-metre or more rule. So shops, pubs and restaurants are open, but you have to try to stay two metres apart. If that's not possible, then one metre."
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Restrictions have eased in England despite the country recording almost four times more COVID-19 cases than Australia every day.
England recorded 812 cases on Wednesday - 592 more than Victoria.
The United Kingdom has also recorded 41,397 deaths related to COVID-19 since the pandemic began, compared to Australia's 450.
Yet despite this dramatic difference, people in England are being actively encouraged to venture out and support businesses.
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"I think the government is trying to get the economy back up and running as much as they can," Ms Taylor said.
"Throughout the month of August, we actually could get a half-price discount if we ate out (on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays).
"They were subsidising purchases up to 10 pounds ($18 Australian) per person.
"So if you bought a coffee or something small, you could get 50 per cent off."
Ms Taylor said Horsham had contracted approximately 500 cases of the virus since the pandemic had begun.
The comparison makes it easy to be thankful for Horsham, Australia's total of just 12 confirmed cases.
"They are monitoring cases in each area, and if the number of cases is rising significantly, they put that area back into lockdown," Ms Taylor said.
"But we're below average nationally in Horsham, so fingers crossed it stays that way."
While the two Horsham's clearly have their distinct differences when it comes to the COVID-19 crisis, there is one hopeful similarity.
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Ms Taylor said a strong and helpful community was one of the major highlights emerging from a tumultuous year.
"There was a real sense of community throughout lockdown. People were offering to help out others by getting food or doing their shopping, if someone had health conditions that made them more vulnerable," she said.
"We also had the 'Clap for Our Carers' movement. It was started by a Dutch-born Londoner, and the idea was for everyone to show their appreciation for essential health workers.
"At 8pm every Thursday, everyone would stand on their doorways and applaud the NHS and other key workers.
"That brought everyone together. And seeing everyone on their doorsteps in our little village, there was a real sense of community and of people pulling together."
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