National Lockdown = T-38 hours

Yesterday, New Zealand’s Prime Minister announced that the country would, at midnight on Wednesday, go into ‘alert level 4’ a total lockdown of all non-essential business, schools, and childcare facilities. The lockdown will last at least 4 weeks. I don’t know if anyone was surprised. We had all been expecting this, since we’d known on Saturday that the government was investigating two cases of community transmission of COVID-19, and that if they turned out to in fact, have been transmitted by the community, this step would inevitably follow. Still, after Simon read me the news, I did start to feel a need to prepare.

We were half way through a Star Trek episode, which he wanted to finish. However, I didn’t want to sit down and pretend like nothing was happening. I wanted to be doing something to help myself - to help my family, to get things and prepare for what was ahead. Knowing that shops were still open, and that in less than three days time, I would no longer have access to them, and knowing that I still needed some winter clothes, I started to feel antsy. Not anxious, not really, just a desire to feel like I was doing something about my situation, and a feeling of annoyance that Simon seemed to be trying to ignore it. “What do you need?” Simon asked. “Pants?” You don’t have to go anywhere for 4 weeks, you can just wear pyjama pants.” No. No, I couldn’t. I needed to get up and get dressed and do work in those 4 weeks. I needed to keep myself in routine for my own health. I needed pants.

 So as soon as my mum got home with the car, we did go out shopping. Simon looked at google and saw that The Warehouse, my destination for the pants that I needed, was twice as busy as usual, so we decided to go to another location first - a hardware shop. We have been meaning to build a hutch for our rabbit Jasper- who is currently living in my room. Now we were going to have 4 weeks at home together.* Now was the time to do it. The shop was busy, but not even pre-christmas busy. I laughed out loud when I saw the seeds rack - all the plants that could be grown for consumption this season were sold out. No worries, we have a pretty well equipped garden at home, and I had already started my salad garden. While we were searching the ailes, we heard a staff member remarking to another that somebody had stollen their hand santitizer from their desk. There was a pretty big line by the time we got in line, but by the time we had been served, there was no-one behind us. The panic was over?

The Warehouse had calmed down by the time we got there. My mum had text me with some orders for the family. Glad I had gone out. We called my dad and checked for orders. None. Okay. We saw the stacks of easter chocolate and checked our phones, only two weeks until Easter. No church in New Zealand would have an Easter service - at least not an in person one. This really was a thing that had never happened before.

As Simon and I got back in the car, I said “That was actually fun.”
“It was” Simon said.
 “We panic shopped.”
“We panic shopped, slowly, and carefully.”
“It’s not really panic shopping then is it, it’s really just shopping.”
“You know, I’m looking forward to spending four weeks at home with you.*”
“Me too.” “It’s going to be an adventure.”

*In case you’re wondering, Simon and I do not usually live together. He happened to be on his day off, and round at my place when we heard the news. He made the decision to let his flatmate feed his cat, and move in to the caravan outside my parents’ place for the lockdown period, as this was a way we could safely see each other during this time. As Christians, we practice celibacy before marriage. More on what marriage means to us later- I’m sure.