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With 12,000 kilometers between them, Pat Carter, 85, fears that she will never see her husband alive again.
Carter, a kiwi, left the home of Fort Saskatchewan, Canada, which she shares with her Canadian husband, Larry Koziak, 87, three months ago. New Zealand had yet to confirm its first case of the virus.
“I didn’t think about it,” said Carter. “China had a little problem, but no one else seemed to have it.”
But the situation changed quickly, and Carter decided to interrupt his planned three-month trip and rebook his flight for March 28.
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However, the day before Carter’s scheduled flight, the government announced that after midnight, only essential workers could take domestic flights.
Unaware of the change, Carter packed his bags, closed his Nelson property, and headed to Nelson airport, where Air New Zealand staff told him he was unable to board his flight.
“They said we cannot allow you to get on the plane, you are not an essential worker. They told me to go home.”
“I was gutted.”
On April 2, the government approved the exemption for foreign citizens to take domestic flights to connect with an international flight.
Carter was unaware of this, and no one from Air New Zealand had been in contact, he said.
Carter’s flight was re-booked for July, but he’s not holding his breath that flights will resume soon. In fact, his optimism had been severely dented.
“I am not used to trauma; once I had four children, now I have two. But I have never been one because of depression or negativity, I have always been optimistic. But this depresses me.”
The couple miss each other “bitterly” and despite the daily video chats, the separation was taking its toll, he said.
“[Koziak] He is very lonely. She has five children, but her family is so afraid of transmitting the virus that they really aren’t going to see it much. “
The couple has health problems, including a shared heart condition. Koziak nearly died of kidney failure last year, and Carter has “cancer cells on the prowl,” he said.
Although they are “perfectly fine day by day”, the couple was eager to reunite.
“We are not going to live forever,” said Carter.
The couple met in Portugal when Carter was 74 years old. “I had never been to Spain or Portugal. I thought it would be better to do it now, while I am still healthy and can carry the luggage and bear the inconvenience.”
On a tour bus, he sat next to Koziak. “We get along well,” Carter said.
“We had a lot in common, including the widow at the same time.”
RNZ
The news that people will be able to travel across the country under Alert Level 2 is a huge boost for the tourism industry.
After a two-year long distance relationship, they got married and Carter moved to Canada to be with her new husband.
Over the years, age has slowed down the couple who were once active. But it has also brought them closer.
“We have a very happy marriage; we do everything together. Due to our age, we cannot do much, and we are together 24/7. Our relationship is quite intense.
“I said to a friend, this is worse than death. With death, you know they won’t come back, they are gone. This uncertainty … we just don’t know.”
An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said government requirements meant that staff were unable to allow customers to board non-essential travel.
“Air New Zealand contacted all customers directly to inform them of the restrictions and posted the latest information on our website.
“We understand that the Level 4 restrictions caused stress and hardship for many of our passengers, however the Government, not Air New Zealand, was responsible for the Level 4 restrictions, including approval of any waivers of these restrictions.”
