Time To Self Isolate?

At 2 o’clock this afternoon New Zealand’s finance minister announced a $12.1 billion package to help our country survive the Covid-19 pandemic and the recession it is creating.  The minister said, “There are tough times ahead but we will get through this together.”

In their three year term of office the current government has weathered the Christchurch mosque terrorism attack and the White Island volcanic eruption tragedy, and now they are facing this pandemic crisis in election year.  Not an easy time for any political party.

Kairakau Beach

Being a pensioner I will welcome the extra boost to my benefit (part of the Package) as it means I will be able to help my son a bit more in the way of buying food and other essential supplies.  His work (he works from home already) is so far looking stable, but one cannot tell what the future will bring.

Otamarakau

For quite a while it was my belief that governments appeared to be over-reacting to this viral threat.  Now I understand better – all these restrictions are not to PREVENT Covid-19, they are to SLOW DOWN the transmission of the virus so that health systems can better cope with the increased influx of patients.  They are designed to spread out the time period of infection – I believe it is referred to as “flattening the curve” or some such terminology.

Any virus that appears on this earth is here to stay, and many times they mutate into different variants.  At some stage it is inevitable that the majority of people will come into contact with Covid-19, and there is definite risk for elderly folk and those with health issues as their immune systems are not as strong.  Unfortunately it is going to cause deaths, as do other viruses and diseases (look at the huge increase of dengue fever in South America at the moment), and even if a vaccine is found it will not save everybody.

Gore Bay

Having had serious respiratory issues in the past and being at the cusp of a “certain age” I could reasonably be called one of the vulnerable at risk of having complications from a viral infection.  I am not afraid of contracting an illness – we all have to die sometime, it is part of living – but I do wish to be sensible in the decisions I make in my life.

Whangamata

After visiting the supermarket this morning and seeing how fearful and panicky so many people still are I have decided there is no harm in putting myself into semi-isolation.  If we are, as was stated on TV, at the same stage now as Italy was three weeks ago, then there will be no harm in restricting my contact with the public for a few weeks. 

Papamoa

I had no idea what photos to use to accompany this post, but wanted something that was a little more cheerful than the topic, so I hope you have enjoyed these pictures of coastal scenes around our little country.

Margaret.