Covid-19 Lockdown Day 3 28 Mar 2020

Today is my bubble buddy's 75th birthday. He was born toward the end of WW2 and this is the strangest birthday he has ever had. In other years, we've always made a point of spending it with our son, but this year that is impossible. The only travel allowed is the short drive to the supermarket. We haven't been there for 5 days, I think, which is most unusual for us. This afternoon, as a birthday treat, the buddy, by himself, went to the supermarket to get a few things we needed - some bananas, a festive dessert, some beer and wine. He said the queue was reasonable, about 4 minutes, and he wore gloves so his hands didn't pick up anything nasty. On his return, his purchases have been well washed down or sprayed to keep us as safe as possible. That's us at home for another few days.

The thing that strikes me about lockdown is how quiet it is. In the morning, we are usually awoken about 6:50am when the garage over the road is opened and a Hi-lux heads out - it's quite a distinctive sound. By that time, you can hear the traffic on the main road. During the day, planes from the aviation college whirl overhead, and it's not unusual to hear and see sky divers. Today there is relative silence, and as I wandered along Motueka Quay, it dawned on me perhaps this was what it was like before there were cars. Yes, there has been the occasional lawn mower or chainsaw, and it's reassuring to hear the children over the back fence jumping about on the trampoline. However, mainly it's just the sound of the wind and the gentle chirping of the birds, including our resident family of tui.

On the disease front, Ashley Bloomfield and the Prime Minister have been allowed a day off from press conferences - it's well-deserved. There are 83 more cases, though no more in our region. Has the curve flattened here? The man in Nelson Hospital is critically ill, as is someone in Wellington. Air New Zealand has announced that 12 air crew travelling on the Los Angeles and London have been infected. I suspect those numbers will rise in the coming days.

For now, I have something to celebrate and roast pork to cook for a very odd, two person celebration.


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