Oh Wellington. Auckland, Christchurch and you're the last of the well-known and 'big' cities to have covid-19 in the community.
New Zealand is the only place I have a physical reaction to when I hear about covid. This has been so for a while now. It goes away after I've calmed down and even when I'm going through it I know it will fade or stabilize rather. I think it's because of the immense love I hold. I have never reacted nor felt like this to anyone and anything else, ever.
I know my reaction isn't solely because of covid in a way or maybe I should say the underlying sources aren't only caused by covid. Yes, when I read about covid in NZ, it provokes such a reaction but there is another reason why.
This first case in Wellington is an essential worker who travelled from Auckland and an employee of a construction company. There is potential large spread.
And not necessarily that it matters, but Wellington is the capital and where government and Parliament is, where the covid live updates are. Of course you can't really control covid, but it was a good look Wellington didn't have it in its community in the covid context. On the flip side, it didn't have covid in its community for a while. Just over 3 months since the country was plunged into level 4 lockdown. But in the grand scheme of things, covid is indiscriminate, the only discrimination it seems to have currently is unvaccinated people because scientists created protective formulas. However, breakthrough infections exist. And non-eligible people for the vaccine.
Wellington. New Zealand.
Now the risk for Bloomfield, Jacinda, Chris Hipkins, Grant Robertson to be infected is higher. Yes they are human and yes, it's always the minority that are in government whether you agree or not with this fact, but it is better government be uninfected by covid. And it's not just one. Imagine Jacinda is infected, the chain of transmission could spread super fast through the government employees.
And New Zealand doesn't have enough infrastructure in quantity to handle covid. The strategy is to use infrastructure smartly but quantity can and probably will overwhelm. This is for most things. Examples: you have two countries at war, both armies are highly trained but with time the one with 100 000 soldiers will be conquered by the one with 400 00; a fast food outlet receives 1000 orders at the same time and in most joints there are not the same number of staff as there are orders but with time, all the orders will be delivered.
Time is not an option with covid though, you contain and care for the infected that need it as soon as possible. In some cases, too much time equals death, and the number of deaths in New Zealand is climbing.
People living in New Zealand, kia kaha, take covid by the horns, no one is saying it is easy but live in reality, if you don't everything will be harder. In the long-term I think you will be living with a lot less restrictions but for now, it metaphorically walks alongside you. You may be 'going forward' slowly, but you have never gone forward and then back; Jacinda has never ever factored in the economy, only health, and be thankful: likely if Jacinda considered the economy in covid-related decisions, there would be more risk of being infected, more infected cases and more deaths than now.
My heart goes out to you Wellington.
- A.M.
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