New Zealand at 365

Un an. Un año. One year. One year since NZ, especially Auckland, was put into lockdown because of one case of the Delta variant of covid. I remember hearing it be announced, I think it was the 5 am news on rnz. Shock. Fear.

NZ has never really got 'back to normal' since then, to life pre-covid/pre-Delta. Which it was. You all have Ashley Bloomfield, for the most part, to thank for protecting Aotearoa from the thousands of infections and deaths France, Germany, the US, Italy, Argentina and many others have.

Yet mask use is dropping. Western/White people mindset/culture. It is an unofficial fact mask use is higher or ubiquitous in Asia such as Japan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, or at the very least when it was most needed. It's not a question for them. And children wear them, including those under 3-4 years old.

This is my question: do you want to get sick? Do you want to die? Do you want to be able to go out to eat like life pre-covid/pre-Delta? Do you want to travel domestically and/or internationally like life pre-covid/pre-Delta to see your loved ones or simply for a holiday? Do you want customers to come back to your business ie have a steady income? Do you want to there not be delays on stock for your business? Do you want your kids to be back at school? Do your kids want to be back at school?

Put on a fucking mask so you won't have to keep living with restrictions. This does not include those who cannot because of medical reasons.

It seems covid has already got New Zealand 'popping' off as a consequence and you've only really had it impact your lives for a year: ram raids, gangs fighting, hospitals overwhelmed etc.

The UK, the Netherlands, Brazil and others have gone through that already. And some still are. Your patience is low and took less than 365 days. It's not trivializing at all, but New Zealand has one of the lowest death tolls and community cases in the entire World. This is an achievement. Do you want to keep it that way which means do you want to live life with as few public health measures as possible? The fastest most efficient way is to put on/wear a mask. Buy one if you won't wear the medical grade/blue one. (A fabric/material one will also reduce wastage because the sooner we contain covid the less waste there will be: masks, PPE, plastic for RATs and PCR testing etc.).

Inflation is not just abstract, it's concrete. It's affecting millions of people. The poor are even poorer: these are people, of which there are millions in Africa, who have no house, let alone cold water (forget hot water), electricity and food. They will never have a computer or mobile phone (which is what a smartphone is essentially), they will never have internet.

Inflation for many in NZ means paying more for petrol, food, rent and utilities. The one and only difference you can make is to prioritize because you can't personally stop Russia's war on Ukraine.

Climate change. You can make your difference by being environmentally friendly, but again, you can't do it personally. You cannot stop the flooding, the slips, the droughts, the heat, the fires. You can use re-usable bags, try to reduce plastic (buy more glass, metal), don't have paper statements/receipts. Of course you're just using another resource.

But wouldn't it be nice if you could try to get rid of one of those problems as much as you could? Covid is the easiest and one you can have an impact on the most.

How?

By wearing a mask.

You can't never eliminate the risk, but you can reduce it, significantly even.

So then you would only have inflation and climate change. Two instead of three and all you have to do is put on a mask.

Or put it this way: is it really more important for you not to wear a mask? You are prolonging not going to concerts and the movies, education, employment, festivals.

Yes, I'm playing the emotional card, but covid has highlighted our loved ones, the option to move without restrictions and that rent, utilities and food are necessary. And of course, it is not just about sleep, eat, work, shower: the Arts are important because movies, music, reading, singing, dancing etc at home have all helped us since covid has been controlling our lives.

You can not wear a mask.

Or you can wear one.

Just make sure you are 100% comfortable with your decision and are confident if you ever explain your reasoning.

-A.M.