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The island nation of New Zealand’s handling of COVID-19 has received media attention, in part because of how early the country closed and how few cases they had, but also because of how much the shutdowns have cost the country.
Terese and Jon Mogard moved to Auckland, New Zealand with their three children in January 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic. The family managed to secure a home and school for the children before the first case was discovered in New Zealand in February.
Soon after, New Zealand closed its borders to the outside world. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern presented a four-tier system that determines what restrictions prevail as a result of the spread of the infection. Level one basically means there are no restrictions other than washing your hands, staying home if you are sick, and wearing a mouth guard on public transportation.
One month after the first Confirmed the case in New Zealand, the country was at level four, which meant closure. So there were 283 confirmed or suspected covid-19 cases in New Zealand.
– We were completely incomprehensible why they closed, it felt very drastic. I remember listening to Swedish radio and couldn’t understand at all why they were doing this in New Zealand, says Terese Mogard.
– People back home in Sweden felt very sorry for us then, says Jon Mogard.
That it would be an embarrassment to the Swedes who were in New Zealand is a perception that would change. Terese and Jon Mogard say they became increasingly positive about New Zealand’s strategy. The pandemic gained momentum in Sweden, at the same time that the island nation was able to live with almost no restrictions for a long time.
– It seems that the image of Sweden has changed. Before the pandemic took off, the first thing everyone mentioned was Ikea, and people were talking very positively about Sweden. Now people mainly ask, how do you really think there ?, says Jon Mogard.
Carl Fredrik Bergström received it also experiences the first closure in New Zealand. He moved there with his family in January 2020 to work as a visiting professor of law at the University of Otago, but today he is back in Sweden.
– It became a very strong feeling when you left after eight weeks, that you had achieved something. The later period, life was as usual, except that there were no tourists, says Carl Fredrik Bergström.
In April of that year, after the first closure of the country, it was reported that New Zealand could defeat the coronavirus. However, some isolated cases of Covid-19 continued to appear, but the cases were few and drastic measures were taken when new cases were discovered.
Carl Fredrik and his family returned to Sweden in August. The biggest difference between countries during the pandemic, he thinks, was the sense of community, which he said was strongest in New Zealand.
– I felt the reason we did this was that everyone should get help, whereas in Sweden it feels more like those who are fragile have to take care of themselves, although it could be a little better now. I think about it when I shop, you almost see the horror in the eyes of the weak and vulnerable, behind their mouth guards, says Carl Fredrik Bergström.
Both Carl Fredrik and the Mogard couple describe that there was always clarity on the part of the New Zealand authorities, and the feeling that closure decisions were not something that was questioned to such an extent.
While the news flow in Sweden was about how many people died and were cared for in IVA, the news in New Zealand could be about how someone defied their quarantine and climbed out the window to buy alcohol, says Carl Fredrik Bergström. At the same time, he feels there was a lot of seriousness around the crown in New Zealand.
– There was a more obvious expression of solidarity there, although I think that many in Sweden really do not want to be affected by the figures on how many people die here. The whole debate about mouth protection has also felt strange. New Zealand has tried to protect other people, while Sweden has tried to protect oneself.
As Christmas approached Stefan Löfven gave a speech to the nation. “It’s serious,” he says. The government announced how Swedes should be allowed to celebrate Christmas and the New Year, and stricter restrictions were introduced across the country. The day before Christmas Eve, there were 46,210 confirmed cases of covid-19 in Sweden. In New Zealand, there were 1,772 confirmed cases. The country had then been at level one since October.
– We went to Queenstown on New Years, it was full of people and fireworks. It was pure euphoria and the feeling was that this is the best place in the world you can be. Almost like you’re a little embarrassed, Jon and Terese Mogard say.
In January, New Zealand pop rock band Six60 began touring the country. Thousands of people cheering and hugging were in the audience. In February, the band performed at Wellington’s Sky Stadium in front of 32,000 spectators.
“Welcome to the greatest show in the world,” the band’s vocalist shouted from the stage to which the audience responded by breaking into a song called “This is forever.”
A short time later, a new spread of covid-19 is discovered in Auckland, and once again it can be said that the virus-free country is not forever.
Late at night On February 14, authorities announced that Auckland would be closing for three days, the same day that Jon and Terese Mogard and their family were at a colorful Hare Krishna festival in Auckland.
– There were about 10,000 people there and strangers smeared paint on my cheek. So I felt like this might be a bit of a good thing, says Terese Mogard.
The Mogard family at a colorful festival in Auckland. From left to right: Jon, Lo, Terese, Nils and Stina in the bottom center.
Photo: Jon Mogard
On March 2, there were a total of 2,026 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 26 people have died in New Zealand so far.
Carl Fredrik Bergström, who has been in Sweden since August he has become used to Swedish life with remote jobs and social distancing.
– We in Sweden probably had some idea that our own lives would not be affected. Now it feels like 100 years have passed and the previous life is a long way off, he says.
The Mogard family who have lived in New Zealand during the pandemic will move to Sweden in April. Although they follow the Swedish news from there, they experience that it is difficult to understand what it is like here and to which country they return.
