Coronavirus Update #14
May 29 - Y’all, we’ve gone one week now without any new cases! A whole week! Even better, there is only 1 active case in all of New Zealand. New Zealand is getting a lot of international press about its success, but in the comments section, there are always a lot of people that make comments like, “yeah, but it is a small island nation. This could never be replicated in the US.”
I have to disagree. Would it be hard to do? Yes, absolutely. It was hard to do here, because even though 5 million people is a substantially smaller population than the US, it is still a HUGE number of people to agree to work together. However, there was clear communication from the government on what needed to happen (we all needed to stay home for four weeks, and I mean actually stay home. Not stay home except for a trip to Michael’s. Or to visit a best friend. Or to get some take out.) There was/is strong social support with wage replacement and extra benefits put into place so people could afford to stay home. (And there’s been oversight for this program. Numerous larger companies that took money from this program have RETURNED it when their losses weren’t as bad as anticipated.) There was respect and trust from the government that all of us could and would follow directions like adults, and in response, most people acted responsibly. For the few that didn’t, there were real enforcement measures in place. The government closed the borders and quarantined returning citizens and residents, which the US could do, or could substantially do, if they wanted to. All of the steps taken here could be replicated elsewhere, but there doesn’t seem to be the will to do what needs to be done in order to eliminate coronavirus, and unfortunately, all of the half measures I see in the US only seem to drag on this terrible purgatory or sort of staying home while the numbers of the infected and dead increase.
May 30 - Our eighth day with no new cases! This is so exciting, but it is in sharp contrast to the insanity coming out of the US: riots, breaking up with WHO, over 100,000+ coronavirus deaths. We’re looking at our charmed life in New Zealand, extremely grateful we took the initiative to move when we did.
May 31 - Day number nine with no new cases! While we’re feeling rather snug (and smug, tbh) about our success, I know there is a lot of fear about what happens when outsiders are let in the country. Today a plane full of people working on Avatar came from Los Angeles to Wellington. I haven’t seen the details surrounding their quarantine requirements, but I hope they are required to go through the same two week stay as every one else. I know people are anxious to get the economy moving again, but putting the entire country at risk for a movie seems insane.
June 1 - Today is a public holiday, the Queen’s Birthday (it isn’t her real birthday, but that is another story…) and it is the tenth day with no new cases! There’s still one lingering case in Auckland, but there is real hope that for the time being, New Zealand is covid-free.
And then the Black Lives Matter protests happened. They took place in several large cities across New Zealand, the largest gathering of about 4,000 in Auckland. I was so thrilled to see Kiwis, Americans, and people from different cultures supporting the movement in the US. I know I will never feel the systemic racism so prevalent in the United States, but I recognize what a rotting, festering current this is in American culture. In New Zealand, racism is pervasive, too, though it manifests in different ways. I’m hopeful that elevating race relations will hopefully address some of the issues we see here, too.
But on the flip side, I sympathise with the group saying, “wait a minute. Why was a group of thousands allowed to congregate when we still have a cap of 100 people on other gatherings?” I am frustrated that people would disregard the hardship that all Kiwis have shouldered to put us in the enviable position of eradicating coronavirus from our country. There was no social distancing and no widespread masks from what I’ve seen. I understand the desire to support and help, but I wish the Americans here who pushed the gathering would’ve taken a different approach and found another way that took into consideration the Level 2 restrictions still in place. It seems disrespectful to our adopted country to break the rules everyone else has so carefully followed for months. I can only hope that in two weeks we aren’t surprised with a surprise uptick in coronavirus cases.
But then I bounce back to a quote I saw from an African American woman in the US, “We have to choose between being killed by police or being killed by coronavirus.” and my heart breaks.
June 2 - Our eleventh day with no cases! After the protests yesterday, there is a huge push to move to Level 1 and get rid of the remaining restrictions on businesses. The Prime Minister has said that the protests are a police - not government - matter, carefully sidestepping the issue. I have to say that I agree with the logic. If it isn’t a big deal for 4,000 people to congregate, then it should also not be a big deal for restaurants to have multiple servers work one table.
June 3 - Day number 12 with no new cases! The government is preparing to move to Level 1 by releasing the 10 Golden Rules of Level 1 - basically a list of common sense things to do to stay healthy. It is announced that we’ll find out this coming Monday if we’ll move to Level 1 or not.
I made my first trip to a mall today to get birthday presents for my son. The experience was much the same as it was pre-lockdown. Some stores had sign in sheets or QR codes to scan, though many did not. They all had hand sanitizer near the door as well as a sign that said how many people were allowed in at any given time. However, I only saw one store with someone at the door monitoring how many people were going in and out. Maybe because it was a Wednesday? Perhaps that is something that is staffed for on the weekends. Suffice it to say, any restrictions that may be in place weren’t followed.
June 4 - Day number 13 with no new cases! There is lots of interest in how New Zealand can open up for visitors again, especially with Australia. I wonder how that could work before Australia eliminates the virus like we have here. The government announced that all of the people coming into the country will have at least two covid-19 tests while they are in one of the quarantine hotels starting next week. This is a change from previously only testing symptomatic people, but I can’t fathom how opening up the border to Australia and mandating a two week quarantine with testing would work.
I know I may have some controversial or unpopular opinions on this blog. I’d love to know why you think I should look at things differently. Please feel free to send me an email at thebumblemom@gmail.com with links to resources I should read/listen/watch.
