Today makes it a bit easier to spend the first weekend in lockdown, in lockdown, and stay in our own bubble. It is raining outside, it is windy, and dark clouds hang in the sky, so is very much an inside day.
On sunny days it will be more difficult to stay inside, introducing a higher risk of being within two metres of people outside our bubble. Whether the weather is good or bad it is important we do this. Difficult choices now ensure there will be a future. As drastic as this sounds, health systems and technology are not built to cope with the numbers of people that would require care if we didn’t enter lockdown.
The other day I went out for a walk. There were still plenty of people out and about. Some people had stopped to talk with others, and some were keeping the two metre distance. One person was skateboarding and one was on their BMX bike. It was heartening to see people outside, getting fresh air, and much needed vitamin D from the sun. We must, however, always observe the two metre distance from those not in our bubble, and take utmost care when exercising. If we get injured or require medical care for a preventable reason, we might take a medical professional away from treating someone in need. We also increase they likelihood of exposing ourselves to Covid-19.
On my walk I made my way to the National War Memorial here in Wellington. It is close enough to our home that walking there feels safe, and only small numbers of people are about to pass on the way. I took care to keep at least a two metre distance from everyone as I walked, and didn’t touch any surfaces with my bare hands on the way. Traffic light pedestrian crossing buttons, staircase hand rails, and seats all would usually have plenty of use. On my way home I ran into a friend I had not seen for a month. Not literally, but we stopped to have a conversation. We are not from the same bubble so we talked from two metres apart. This seems a fair distance to have a conversation. I ended our interaction sooner than I usually might because this is not like any other time. This is not a holiday, it is action to prevent Covid-19 taking lives. Stay vigilant. Stay home. Stick to these rules more stringently than you think you need to. They have been put in place to protect all of us.
All of this might seem like an overreaction, but they are measures to stop the spread of infection. Every choice we make to reduce the likelihood our bubble will be affected is to save lives. We must do our best to ease the pressure on our courageous and hard-working essential services people.
It is not about us. Every time we choose to spend a longer time outside, or to interact with another bubble, or to do something we shouldn’t, we put people at risk.
Kia kaha dear readers.
Embrace peace, and make the tough decisions now so more people will have a future.
Love always, and look after each other.
Hard lines, heavy times, and handblocks 