Living with a snap lockdown in New Zealand after a normal year

Last year, the Westmeath Independent ran a feature series, 'Abroad In Uncertain Times', in which we interviewed local people in various parts of the globe about how they were coping with the pandemic while living away from home. We have recently been getting back in touch with those featured for an update on how things have been going since.

David English, originally from Irishtown, Athlone, and subsequently from Glasson, has been living in Auckland, New Zealand, for more than 20 years.

He is married to Sonya and they have two boys, Finn and Rori. David's sister, Jane, is the owner of the Wineport Lodge in Glasson.

* Lockdown measures were introduced recently in New Zealand. What is the general feeling there in relation to that decision?

What is important to understand about New Zealand is that we have been living a normal life for the last year. Despite reasonably short lockdowns in 2020, our economy has been booming. We have had full sports stadiums, concerts, and restaurants with no restrictions.

We've felt extremely privileged to be in that position when watching the rest of the world deal with the impact of the new variants of Covid. It has been a bit surreal, like being in a bubble of 5 million.

As a family, we have often felt guilty about having so much freedom when our family overseas could not. We all thought it was a matter of time before we got the Delta strain through our borders, as we had opened up quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand.

Most people agree that lockdown was the correct call. Everyone is complying with the rules and accept that the elimination policy we have - and have always had - is the correct one for now. Going hard and going early is still the mantra here.

Underlying this is the fact that New Zealand is poorly vaccinated compared to Ireland or the UK. We have not yet been highly exposed to Covid. We will have to open our borders at some stage in the future and the current thinking is that a fully-vaccinated nation is likely to fare better.

* In what way is the current lockdown impacting on your own life and work?

My company is under a construction label, so we are not allowed to work in level 4 lockdown restrictions. Our team are making use of this time to continue with quoting new work and re-looking at health and safety policies from our home offices. Both myself and my wife have set up home offices. I am upskilling with Computer Aided Design and my wife and I have more time to assist my teenage boys with schoolwork.

For the boys, lockdown is pretty alright. They are five steps from the fridge, WiFi is on tap, and they communicate through tech with their mates a lot of the time anyway. Getting us all out in the sunshine for some green and blue time as a family, is our biggest priority.

I'm writing this on day six of a level 4 lockdown, meaning nothing is open except supermarkets, chemists, GPs and hospitals. No takeaways, no coffees. For now, that will last for at least two weeks, and most people expect it to become four weeks

* What has been the toughest aspect of 2021 for you?

Not being able to travel, especially to Ireland. My mum in Athlone had a milestone birthday in March this year and I was sad not to be there with her. From a broader aspect my wife, as a nurse, and I worry about the rising poverty and dissolving mental health of many in our communities. We believe our health systems will need to adapt with a preventative focus to the future.

Kiwis have learned so much about themselves and, much like the Irish, are a resilient breed. We all need and thrive on community connection.

* What are your hopes for the remainder of the year?

My hopes for the rest of the year are a fully-vaccinated New Zealand nation, a reduction of Covid in the world, a return to 'normal life' and whatever that new normal may look like, and finally the Irish to beat the All Blacks in Dublin in November!