Figuring out the best, individual social distancing routine is probably one of the most important things anyone can do right now. Some no doubt find it difficult, while others, such as Armidale's mayor Simon Murray, seek solitude with an old friend.
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Working from home certainly means many things to different occupations and people. On his farm, Mayor Murray took refuge inside his old mate, his Claas tractor.
Its cabin air is filtered, it has radio reception, gives him a few bars of mobile phone reception and his old friend has GPS, which, among other things, is quite useful should a power nap get the better of him at any time.
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"I can listen to the radio, listen to the music, listen to broadcasts - what more could someone want?" he asked.
"I've got a number of jobs to do, but I figure this is a pretty safe environment.
"With the recent rain some of the weeds have gone berserk, but get them under control and I'm about to put in a fodder crop of Triticale," he said.
Simon was spraying weeds and pasture on his property, and while acknowledging he enjoyed his haven, he could remember the hard work it took to get it and keep it.
He pushes the fact that he only finished treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2012 to the back of his mind because his immune system is still vulnerable, which makes him susceptible to COVID-19 right now.
When asked if he thought the isolation of "working from home" was having too much of a "calming effect" he laughed, and said he was finding social distancing very relaxing.
"You're not always giving a nervous twitch when someone gives a little cough. It's just - yes, very relaxing here on the farm."
"It's a different environment from the council offices, and safer.
"As far as we know, there are no instances of COVID-19 in the Armidale or Guyra area at the moment, so the pressure's off so far."
He said the situation would change when cases in Armidale and Guyra began occurring.
"When that happens, it will be very much trying to maintain a good separation between ourselves and others," he said.
He admitted his tractor was not rigged with enough technology for him to run a council meeting from it, but said holding public meetings remained a problem for a good many councils.
"We're still looking at that with the Office of Local Government. Not running meetings off a tractor - but how do we hold meetings that are open to the public, as they are required by law to be?" he asked.
"If you want to hold a video-type meeting, I can't do that from here. That sort of meeting could be held from town, but then, if you go to town that negates the whole idea of good social distancing."
It was a problem Simon resolved to ponder further, while cruising around his property with a dog or two on his old mate Claas.
