Daisy Long, a 19-year-old university student, tragically ended her life on August 6th just six weeks into the Sydney lockdown.

The student had dreams of travelling the world after she had spent years battling a debilitating chronic illness, however, the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing lockdown shut down her plans.

The lockdown in Sydney, which is part of a larger lockdown in the Australian state of New South Wales, was initially set to last only two weeks – starting June 26th and ending July 9th – but was extended several times as the state struggled to contain the Delta variant.

Daisy’s younger sister, Tiggy, 16, said in an interview on the Australian news programme Today: “It’s been extremely difficult. I’ve felt like there’s just a missing piece in my life.

“Daisy was the one who taught me strength and she went through many challenges in life. She always had a smile on her face and held her head high.”

Daisy was chronically ill with a tick-borne disease between the ages of 13 and 16.

Her mother, Sally said: “During those years, when she should have been at school having fun and enjoying herself, instead she was bed-bound.

“We kept saying to her ‘once you are better, your life will be better and you will go ahead and achieve your goals and dreams.’ She focused on that. She applied for psychology at Macquarie University, was accepted and began her degree this year. She received high distinctions. Then COVID lockdown began. It sent her spiralling downwards.”

Her sister Tiggy said that Daisy suffered the effects of lockdown more than anyone, saying that Daisy felt lonely and trapped in a prison.

“Me and my sister were extremely close. And it does feel like prison. It feels so lonely and it feels like it’s never going to come to an end.

“When you get in that headspace of I’m trapped and it’s never going to end, you think how can I survive lockdown?”

Tiggy urged her fellow teens to ask for help and support when they need it, explaining that she bottled up her emotions until she recently lost her sister.

“Daisy wasn’t able to come to a point where she could voice what she was feeling. I know it’s not that easy, but you just have to speak up.

“You just need to get it out to someone because especially in lockdown, when you’re trapped in your room and you are dealing with these emotions, you’ll just explode at one point. When you’re dealing with mental health issues you have to think about yourself.”

Daisy’s mother issued a plea to parents who are struggling during the lockdown: “Don’t get hung up on the small stuff. Don’t get hung up on whether they’ve done the essay or not. It’s neither here nor there at the moment really. No disrespect to the education system, but at the moment they need to be having whatever release of freedom and fun they can have.

“If they want to sit up and watch a movie until three in the morning let them. Because what they’re doing is they’re getting out of their head. You want them out of their head. You want them out of their head. You don’t want them in here.”

Daisy’s family has set up Tiggy’s Perspective to raise awareness about suicide.

Tragically, these unnecessary lockdowns will continue to claim the lives of countless innocent children, teens and adults around the world. Whilst governments will insist these enforced restrictions are to protect your life and the lives of others, it is in reality all about controlling the masses and stripping us of our freedoms.