Still in Level 4

This week most of New Zealand moved to delta level 2 while Auckland stays in level 4 for at least another seven days. And I’m simultaneously annoyed and understanding.

I’m annoyed because Auckland always seems to get the brunt of the lockdowns. While most areas of the country haven’t done the lockdown thing since last March/April, we’ve had disruptions to school in August of 2020, February of 2021 (twice) and again in August/September of 2021. I have to wonder why the government is housing the bulk of MIQ returnees in the most populous city in the country when an outbreak here is the most detrimental and disruptive and has the greatest chance of spreading quickly. I also question why vaccines to Aucklanders weren’t prioritized over areas that have never had any covid cases.

On the flip side, I understand why things have happened the way they have. International flights all come in to Auckland, and it makes sense to have as little travel past the airport as possible. Plus, there are more medical resources in Auckland than elsewhere in the country if/when people do get sick. As Aucklanders, we get the benefit of the big international airports and hospitals during the good times, but that means we need to share those resources, too. And as for vaccines, there were lots of elderly patients the first time around and multiple outbreaks in aged care facilities. Once we got past border and healthcare workers, it makes sense to focus on an age approach to help protect those most at risk.

But do I look longingly at all of the people who got to send their kids to school on Thursday? Yes. Yes I do.

On a brighter note, because the rest of the country is at level 2, they are open for business and apparently have no qualms about sending non-essential goods into Auckland. This is a big improvement from last year’s level 4 lockdown and even an improvement from a few weeks ago. I’m hopeful we can get some supplies in to continue work on some house projects that we have time for.