Back in Level 3

Wednesday the 22nd was our first full day in level 3 in Auckland. Level 3 is staying at home + takeaway, or as the rest of the world thinks of it - a pretty severe lockdown. Kids are still homeschooled and people are supposed to stay in their bubbles. The idea is to allow businesses that can operate with limited contact with the public to do so.

The last time we moved from Level 4 to Level 3 it was a huge celebration. People were thrilled to get out of the house, get food prepared by someone else and pick up previously unavailable, unessential items. There were long waits everywhere for coffee in this morning, click and collect during the day, and take away for dinner. The lines for drive through fast food caused traffic jams.

This time around it feels different. First, there is general consensus that covid isn’t gone and isn’t going away any time soon like in 2020. Secondly, while there were still limits on what we could and could not order online in Level 4, there was a lot more available, especially with the rest of the country in Level 2 with the ability to ship into the city. (And confession - the ability to order from overseas and have items show up faster than domestic shipping!) These two differences mean that the transition down levels was a lot less celebratory. People are still nervous about covid in the community since there are unlinked cases popping up every day. There are masks everywhere and just about everyone is wearing them correctly.

I made it a point to preorder my morning tea and coffee order from my favorite local spot so I wouldn’t have to wait in an hour long queue on Wednesday morning. I had vivid memories of waiting until nearly lunch time for my mid-morning coffee last time and I didn’t want to repeat that. I showed up at 9:45 with kids in tow and fully prepped to wait, expecting at least ten minute delay, but no - there were maybe six people milling about and no wait for one of the most delicious cappuccinos I’ve ever had.

Jon reported a similar experience at Bunnings (a Lowe’s or Home Depot equivalent) where he had placed a click and collect order the night before. He was able to walk right up and get his supplies with no wait and no trouble. However, he did a drive by of a Mitre 10 (the main Bunnings competitor) and noted a wait down the block. So the lack of lines wasn’t universal, but it certainly wasn’t as bad as it was last year.

We also ordered dinner, and it was glorious to have someone else cook for a change. Our usual Indian takeout place (shout out to Curry Village!) has never had a wait longer than 20 minutes, but on Wednesday, it was about 45 minutes. I’m glad to see they’re busy, but I was on the verge of hangry by the time our food was ready.

Since that first day of relaxed restrictions, life is in an odd purgatory. Any change in level won’t be announced until next Monday. This is the final week of the school term, and no one is sure what will be possible over the school holidays. If we’re in level 2, hopefully we’ll be able to send the kids to a few holiday programs, but there is no way to know for sure, and places aren’t even allowing for sign ups at this point. I think the general consensus is that we’re going to be in level 3 until either there are no more unlinked cases or Auckland gets to a 90% vaccine level. So far about 82% of the city has had their first vaccines, but it is hard to tell if the government means a 90% vaccination rate for both shots or first shots. Since I have a sinking feeling that New Zealand has thrown in the towel, I’d venture to guess that it is 90% with first vaccines.

So wish us luck this last week of the school term. We’re definitely in our groove with distance learning and even though it is really hard sometimes, it fills the hours and makes the days go by fast. Since there isn’t a whole lot else to do in Level 3, I’ll almost miss it when we’re on school holidays.