Covid 19 coronavirus: New Zealanders reflect on six months since shutdown

By RNZ’s Harry Lock

Today six months ago, the country was completely blocked in response to the Covid-19 pandemic that is hitting the world.

At 11:59 p.m. on March 25, the country went to alert level 4, introducing some of the strictest public health measures in the world.

Now, half a year later, how do New Zealanders remember that time, what do they think of the last six months, and what impact has it had on all of our lives?

Six months, or 184 days ago, Simon Bridges was leader of the National Party, David Clark was Minister of Health, and Iain Lees-Galloway was Minister of Immigration.

It has been a busy six months since then. It has been a surreal, sometimes incredible period of New Zealand and all of world history.

On a personal level, people have experienced great changes in their lives.

Francene Scott, in Dunedin, is one.

“I changed my job, I separated from my partner, I changed my house the day before the lockdown, I went through depression and I recovered on the other side of it.

“I think it has brought my family together, it has made us stronger as a unit.”

Looking back on that month when the country was at Level 4, the restrictions on personal freedom were unprecedented.

A quick summary of the situation:

• Everyone stayed in bubbles.

• There were no interregional trips, there were no public meetings, and all public places were closed.

• Only essential services and businesses remained open.

• All educational facilities were closed.

Through adversity, he gave Claire Mackay in Wellington time to develop something new.

“With this block, I’ve been able to build my relationship a lot more, because we had to isolate ourselves separately. We were able to talk a lot more, and every time we called every day, we had to think of something to talk about, so we got to know each other a lot more. “.

For Andrew Douglas it was the opportunity to change habits. “I’ve done a lot of nonsense when I drink and things like that, so it was nice not feeling the pressure to go out. That couch was beautiful.”

But level 4 wasn’t easy for everyone, including teacher aide Lisa Glavey. She said she missed a job because she couldn’t get in when asked, as she had a cold at the time. It ended up going to someone else.

It was the distance from family that hit Derek Quigley especially hard.

“Be an Aucklander [I missed] to be able to go on vacation to the country or to be able to visit my sister in Melbourne.

“The first confinement was really difficult, because my mother is in a town with many elderly people, so it was really difficult.”

On April 27, the country fell to level 3 for a period of two weeks and a little, until level 2 was received on May 13, and then on June 8, it fell to level 1.

While things like wearing masks, hand sanitizing, and QR code scanning aren’t as strange as they used to be, there are things that are harder for people to accept.

“We will get married next month,” said Hamilton’s Brendan. “Many of our foreign guests cannot come. That is quite unfortunate, it has taken us a while to come to terms.”

The reality of having borders closed, and with little prospect of them opening anytime soon, is difficult for Joshua Steel.

“It’s definitely weird getting used to not being able to go abroad and realizing that that will probably be the case for the next year, which is a bit overwhelming to be honest.”

Reflecting, looking back at the full six months, Mathias Te Moananui was optimistic.

“I tend to see the positive aspects of this, and I have high hopes for the future. I feel a sense of renewal from everything that has happened. There are many things that have come to the fore in the minds of the public and I am excited to see where they go with that. “

The country celebrated 100 days without community transmission on August 10, but just two days later, a new case was announced in Auckland.

The return of the virus has served as a reminder that with six months late, there is still a long way to go.

– RNZ