The first is that the community has been robbed of its chance for solemn commemoration: that in not being able to gather in numbers, Australians are not able to properly honour service and sacrifice on this most special of days.

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And it is true, part of the power of Anzac Day comes in the sense of community and single purpose it generates among its enormous crowds.

To stand among thousands, in silence, is to feel part of something bigger than yourself, something grand and of importance.

But the other way to look at Anzac Day in the time of COVID-19 is that this was always a day for individual reflection on a mass scale.

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Anzac Day asks us to think about those who came before and what they were prepared to endure for those who came after.

It asks us to be quiet, to be respectful, to be thankful and to be contemplative - acts of the individual, rather than the crowd.

And they are all things that we can still do today.

Some will do these things in their homes, some will do them at the end of their driveway. Some might take a moment to stop and think as they are going about their day.

The spectacle of Anzac Day will be missed this year, as will the chance for veterans to catch up with mates they do not see as much as they should.

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But the heart of Anzac Day - the personal response to the day - need not be changed by our current social distance restrictions.

We don't need to be with each other physically to still be part of something solemn and important.

We just need to be silent for a little while. To remember and reflect.

The spectre of COVID-19 and the social restrictions in place to prevent it can't take that away from us.