Yes – it has really happened. Today is day 14 of our quarantine. We have had our final checks, and now we are free to leave – to walk out of the hotel and go free. Without any of the restrictions of the past two weeks, or even those of the past 8½ months.
New Zealand is Covid-free. And – apart from its closed borders – life here is carrying on as normal.
Not so, sadly, in the UK which – as the vaccine is slowly rolled out – continues with its tiered restrictions. And, even when a majority of the population has been vaccinated, life will be very different, and certainly not a return to normal as we have known it.
For Lois and I these restrictions have hardly been more than a minor inconvenience, and I am – once again – aware of how privileged and blessed we are.
For so many people that is not the case. There are so many for whom the pandemic and the lockdown restrictions have brought, and continue to bring, hardship – bereavement, loneliness, loss of their livelihoods; financial struggles, anxiety and stress.
And so, as we walk out of our quarantine hotel, my prayer is – for all whose lives continue to be affected by the pandemic, the advent prayer:
‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
On those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.’
At the final climax of the powerful Motionhouse Dance, Captive, the dancers, till then trapped within the confines of their metal cage, are offered their freedom as the cage is lifted. The dance ends and you, the audience are left wondering whether they will take the freedom offered them, step out into the frightening beyond, or – like trapped animals or disempowered prisoners – stay within the ‘comfort’ of all that they have known.
Lois and I, for the past 13 days, trapped within the confines of our quarantine hotel, will tomorrow be offered our own freedom. Our swabs have come back negative. We will have completed the 336 hours required to show that we are Covid-free.
I am looking forward to getting out. To having the freedom to walk in the New Zealand countryside – to go where we like, to meet with others, eat and drink our own food, follow our own timetables.
And yet. There is a part of me that wonders – do I really want this time to end? I have got quite comfortable in our little routines here, having our meals delivered, not having to make decisions or fit in with other people. I have appreciated the time alone with Lois – we get on well together and enjoy each other’s company. We’ve played games, watched movies, read our Mma Ramotswe novel, savoured a bottle or two (or six or seven) of Kopiko Bay wines, even indulged in a bit of frivolous and wonderfully meaningless activity! And I have valued the opportunity to devote some time to my PhD and other academic work: reading books, writing papers, analysing results, thinking.
So another couple of weeks would be really nice – just think of all the other things I could achieve, the progress I could make.
I know there will be no hesitation on Lois’ part, but what about me: when I’m given my final certificate, and the hotel door is opened before me…
Having ticked off many of the tasks I had set for myself during our time in quarantine, I decided to devote myself this week to my PhD, and in particular to writing a paper on a piece of critical discourse analysis (CDA) I had done on the Safeguarding Overview document of the Church of England.
My discourse analysis had yielded some really interesting perspectives on this document, highlighting much that was positive, but also some aspects which I felt were unhelpful or misleading. Given the publication of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA)’s report on the Anglican Church, and the Church’s own commitment to implementing its recommendations, I felt it would be helpful to publish my findings.
So it was with a degree of frustration that I found that the Church has now removed this Overview document from its website.
Perhaps all my careful structuring and control of our quarantine time is starting to unravel.
There were other signs, also, of cracks in the fabric:
As my computer microphone packed up and I could not be heard in two important Microsoft Teams meetings set up with researchers for our National Safeguarding Practice Review Panel
As I sat on Zoom, waiting to be let into a meeting which was actually scheduled for tomorrow and which I had, somehow, entered into my calendar 24 hours out of sync
As I failed, in consequence, to book an exercise slot for today, so leaving me without any opportunity to get out in the fresh air and sunshine of the pool deck
Still, we only have two days to go now.
So, with a deep breath, I sat down at my computer and refocused my research paper on the Safeguarding Policy document that was the other subject of my CDA.
And, by some miracle of grace, the words started to flow.
It would be very easy, stuck in our quarantine room for eleven days, to only see the negatives: the loss of freedom, the isolation, the noise from the building site opposite…
So I decided today that I would deliberately look out for the goodness, truth and beauty around.
And here is what I found:
The goodness of four young adults enjoying a game of Four Square in the middle of the exercise yard
The goodness of the armed forces, security guards and hotel staff doing their jobs diligently and with friendliness and grace
The goodness of Mma Ramotswe’s kind words to her assistant Charlie in Alexander McCall Smith’s latest novel (yes, I know that the traditionally-built proprietor of the Number One Ladies Detective Agency in Botswana is only a fictional character, but she is portrayed so well that her goodness still shines through!)
The goodness of discovering that the 24-storey building site across the road is actually a gutting and recycling of an old building, thus helping to reuse resources and reduce waste, rather than demolishing and starting from scratch
The truth portrayed in a couple of research papers submitted to our journal
The truth that is slowly coming together as I think about a paper for my PhD
The truth embraced by the precision engineering on the building site – how it all holds together securely and safely
The unusual stunning beauty of the spikey flowers on the big red bromeliad on the exercise deck (alcantarea imperialis)
The pristine beauty of three white gardenias after Lois and I had gone round dead-heading them
And yes, even the ordered beauty of a well-constructed building
Sunday 6th December. Day ten of our quarantine. Second Sunday in Advent.
It struck me today that this would be a good day to ponder what it is I long for. And not just the end of our quarantine, a good walk, home-cooked meals and the chance to see Lois’ family. Nor even just the liberties of being at large in a Covid-free country, no longer constrained by the social distancing, limited activities of a UK lockdown and tiered restrictions.
Advent is a time of waiting and longing. It remembers the longing – 2,000 years ago – of a captive nation waiting for a Messiah to deliver them; and the ongoing longing ever since of countless Christians, waiting for the fulfilment of that vision that was birthed so many centuries ago. Perhaps, too, it gives voice to the longings of all peoples everywhere, for a better world, and the longings of the earth itself to be set free…
So what is it I long for?
It wasn’t difficult to express what I long for an end to:
For an end to the greed and exploitation that causes such inequities both between and within countries;
For an end to the violence and abuse that robs children of their childhoods, that tears families and communities apart;
For an end to the prejudice and hatred that leads to the death of an innocent black man under the knee of a police officer, or the murder of innocent worshippers in a Christchurch mosque;
For an end to the senseless destruction of our planet…
I could go on.
The problem with that is that, if I really stop to think about it, I may not be a terrorist, a millionaire, an abuser, or a corrupt politician, but the same attitudes underlying all of these global issues are there lurking inside me. I, too, enjoy the luxuries of a privileged lifestyle which is only sustainable because of the exploitation of the poor and the planet; I, too, have ingrained attitudes of superiority and mistrust of strangers; I, too, like to have things my way and tend to assert my will over that of others.
So, if I really long for an end to those systemic problems, perhaps it has to start with me.
When I put the question to Lois over our morning coffee, she turned it round and thought about what we long for in a positive sense. What attitudes and behaviours do we really long for, that might bring about the change we want to see in this world?
So here are our suggestions:
For a slower pace of life, all of us taking time to pause, to be present, to pay attention
For a greater connection with nature, each of us taking opportunities to connect with the creation of which we are a part
For hospitality and welcome – that goes beyond mere tolerance and respect, to truly welcome the wonderful mystery that is someone else
For gratitude, appreciating the goodness, truth and beauty that surrounds us.
In its news bulletin this morning, Radio New Zealand reported on a WHO spokesperson commending New Zealand’s response to the pandemic as ‘an example of a country that has worked well with a community to effectively communicate what is being done.’
“In New Zealand there was a lot of clarity about what was expected and why things were going to be done and that’s extremely important, that people understand what’s going to happen and why it’s going to happen.”
Now, New Zealand is unique: relatively isolated from the rest of the world and with a small population, it hasn’t had nearly the same challenges as the USA, the UK and other countries in Europe.
Nevertheless, I have been totally impressed with the way the country has managed its response to the pandemic: a huge contrast to the shambles of our own government’s response.
True to her leadership style, Jacinda Ardern responded promptly and decisively to the pandemic, with both empathy and humility. She appeared to listen to both the scientists and ordinary people and the approach they took clearly prioritised the life and well-being of New Zealand’s citizens above the economy or any political considerations.
Right from the start, New Zealand introduced a system of four alert levels – each with clear criteria for the underlying risk assessments and the management strategies to be implemented at each level. The messaging was clear, consistent and unambiguous, and didn’t keep changing as the pandemic unfolded. As a result, people knew where they stood, what was expected of them and why, and they responded accordingly.
Since arriving in New Zealand and experiencing first hand their approach to managed isolation/quarantine, we have been even more aware of how effective and efficient the measures are. As new arrivals we have been treated with respect and kept informed. The messages we have received about social distancing and protective measures have been clear and simple; their test and trace system has worked effectively, with clear communications once it was discovered that someone on our flight had tested positive; the armed forces, drafted in to supervise and manage the isolation facilities have done their job well and with grace.
And, most of all, we know that we can look forward, in just a few days’ time, to living a life unconstrained by the threat of second waves, repeated lockdowns, or muddled and contradictory advice.
They have started taking down the scaffolding and netting on the building outside. Watching how the building is progressing is one of the many exciting entertainments we are treated to in our quarantine room, though a noisy one with hammering, drilling, banging and so on from six in the morning till late in the afternoon.
Like Coventry, the Auckland skyline seems to be dominated by cranes (it intrigues me how they manage to construct these enormous cranes and keep them stable, and it must be a lonely existence for the crane operator, stuck up there all day, having climbed up 18 or so ladders to get to the top). Whether they are for student accommodation, office blocks, or hotels, I don’t know. And I wonder what impact the pandemic will have on all these new builds? Certainly, tourism will be impacted, with much lower numbers for some time to come; perhaps overseas students too. But has New Zealand experienced the same exodus of office workers in the shift to home working that has dominated the UK?
The removal of the netting and protective plastic sheeting covering the building is starting to reveal more of the underlying structure. And that is both aesthetically pleasing and adding to the interest of the site.
And it makes me wonder what else might be uncovered by spending two weeks in quarantine?
How unfit I am, as evidenced by my body’s groans as I engaged in half an hour of Pilates, or tried out the first level of the 5BX fitness programme (thanks Charlie!)
How much I like routine and structure in my life (at what point does that become rigidity and obsession?)
How much I like to have things my own way
Lois and I had a disagreement this morning.
We were the first onto the exercise deck and, while I went for the usual (and, to my mind, more comfortable) anticlockwise turning to the right, Lois chose to break with convention and start a (to her mind more individual and inspiring) clockwise circuit to the left.
We both stubbornly stuck to our individual circuits, while our fellow-quarantiners were left wondering which way to go.
Our human natures are strange. How is it that we can both feel that we are constantly giving way to the other, and making allowances for their preferences? Sadly, I have to acknowledge that in this Lois is probably right – that it is usually my preference that wins, much as I might think otherwise!
Perhaps a bit more of the scaffolding and netting needs to be removed.
First, as we listened to the five pm BBC news as we sipped our cups of tea, we heard the news that the MHRA have approved the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine. The cautious doctor in me just hopes that the foreshortening of the normal long timescales for safety trials won’t have resulted in any potentially serious side effects being missed; but overall, this is great news.
Second, our swabs from the additional testing came back clear, so we are allowed out of our room again. We celebrated with an early evening walk around the exercise yard.
Third, Lois and I successfully completed our level one food safety e-learning course. So we now know how to clean surfaces and store food safely at Breathing Space.
And finally, we have reached day seven – half-way through our quarantine. We are still enjoying each other’s company, not getting bored, working our way through our respective lists of things we wanted to do, appreciating some nice Marlborough valley wines (even if the wine list is limited to just one Pinot Noir, a Pinot Gris, a Chardonnay, and a Sauvignon Blanc), and feeling grateful to be alive, healthy and (relatively) free.
