Start of the School Year
It’s the beginning of the school year here in New Zealand. Usually I’m counting down the days until the kids are back in class, but this year is a little different. First, they’re older now and a lot more fun. We’ve had such a relaxing summer full of playing at the beach, swimming, and generally lazing around. It’s been great for everyone, though I’m pretty sure we’ve all ingested an absurd quantity of ice cream over the past couple of months. (Side note: try Weis’ Mango Ice Cream Bar. SO GOOD!)
Secondly, New Zealand is at the beginning of the omicron wave, and it is clear the schools are going to be full of cases really quickly. Last week, in fact, one local high school that starts earlier than most had a bunch of students attend a music festival the weekend before we went into the “red” setting and within two days of class starting, 120 students were sent home because they were at the festival which has led to a huge number of cases. This week one school announced that it was delaying its open day because every single teacher was considered a close contact after participating in a training session and has to isolate.
In preparation for the start of the school year, I took my son to get some new uniform items. The precautions at the on-campus uniform shop were a joke. The shop wouldn’t take appointments for fittings, so we showed up about an hour after opening. The shop itself is small, so they were only letting one family at a time inside. However, in the indoor waiting area outside the shop, families gathered for hours waiting for their turn. All of the adults had masks, but a good number of them spent most of their time waiting with masks down by their chins. There was no enforcement. About half the kids wore masks, but the other half - many of them older kids who will have to wear them once school starts - did not. We spent two and a half hours in this cramped space with no air flow and minimal social distancing. I also noticed as we were walking to and from the shop that there were groups of unmasked teachers sitting indoors with each other. It was not confidence inspiring for covid safety precautions during the school day.
Schools in New Zealand seem to be taking the normal-is-better-than-safe approach. There is a huge emphasis on getting kids back into the classroom and not much on keeping kids in small bubbles that might help contain an outbreak. They’re very clear that schools are not subject to any sort of limit on gatherings, so don’t expect much in the way of separation. This is in the context of kids’ vaccines starting less than three weeks ago. And the regimen here is eight weeks between kid doses. And kids in year 3 and under don’t wear masks. And kids in year 4 and up do wear masks except in specialists subjects, like music or PE. And the attempts at social distancing are laughable. And did I mention that a neighbour with school aged-kids went in depth about how no one she knows is scanning in anywhere anymore because they don’t want to be listed as a close contact and have to self isolate?
So basically all the kids are about to bring covid home.
To say that I am not looking forward to this is an understatement. I realize that for many people this will be like a cold or flu, but not for everyone. Plus, we’re trying to keep everyone healthy so the hubby can make a trip back to the US in March. And just like I would prefer to avoid getting the flu, I would also prefer to avoid getting covid, especially with all of the unknowns surrounding the long term affects. Unfortunately, it feels like I have to choose between school and getting sick, and that is a crappy place to be in as a parent - especially an expat parent that doesn’t have family nearby.
