Covid -19 Lockdown Day 18 April 12 Easter Sunday 2020

The days roll slowly by. Each one feels just the same as summer turns slowly into autumn. The forecast today is for rain; the sky keeps threatening it, but as yet, there has only been a smattering of drizzle.

For that reason, I walked with my umbrella early this morning, straight after breakfast rather than after lunch. I was struck by the quiet once again. A few garden projects in my neighbourhood are coming along, and a local painter is re-doing the outside of his house - I wonder if he has just been too busy before now. Walkers outnumber cars on the road and it's heartening to see children out on bikes trying to race their parents. Without any traffic, that is considerably safer. Over the last week, nothing much has happened at home though. The grapes are nearly finished and the feijoas, very small this year, continue to fall off the tree. The last of the peppers are ripening.

On the virus front, there have been four deaths and yesterday alone there were two. All deaths have been old people with underlying health conditions. Today, the number of new cases was eighteen. The number of Top of the South cases remain at 48, and there hasn't been an increase for a number of days. It's looking promising, but we mustn't be lulled into a false sense of security. Quarantining the small number of New Zealanders returning home should help reduce community infections. People have their fingers crossed that New Zealand may move to Level 3 on the 23 April. That will not mean a return to "normal" but it may mean that more businesses can open their doors to their workforces. There is even a rumour that schools may open on 29 April.


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