“Love is Stronger than Hatred.”A Message from New Zealand

Faces of Quarantine, One Virus Many Faces: Brian Woodford

During this pandemic, I have felt thankful for many things. I think most importantly, the wisdom behind the restrictions on movement (lockdown)the very few deaths in New Zealand, our own health, and good weather.
In many ways, for me, not much changed as I usually spend most of my time at home. I enjoy reading thrillers, theology, science, and biographies, and so I get to spend time doing that. Our garden is a daily delight and takes an hour or so each day to work on it. The major frustration is not being able to visit with our daughter, her husband, and especially our 2 yr old granddaughter. We have been allowed to go for walks, so my wife Lyn and I have kept fit by walking along the nearby river paths in mostly beautiful weather.

Here in New Zealand, we have been incredibly fortunate to have Jacinda Arden as Prime Minister and Dr. Ashley Bloomfield as General Director of Health. They give daily special TV broadcasts and provide us with regular updates on numbers of cases, hospitalizations, new cases, and their reason/ source and any deaths. Plus detailed and very structured guidelines on what to do and what not to do. Virtually everyone is playing their part, staying isolated when instructed, maintaining social distance, and generally being kind and even more socially interactive than usual. The result is one of the best national results anywhere in the world- a total of 21 deaths, all but one above retirement age, and they already had underlying health issues. Total infections under 1,500 and the currently active cases are just over 200. There has been no community transmission. So we have gone down one level of restrictions, with construction sites open and many businesses back on the job.

In my city, the shutdown has brought many changes like no traffic, cleaner air and river and it’s so much quieter. I think that after this, there will be a massive rise in unemployment; sadly, multiple small businesses will be unable to survive, long term reduction in tourism, and the hospitality industry, and international travel. Currently, there are long queues at food parcel distribution centers and an increase in family violence, which is worrisome.

My biggest wish is that the world’s most vulnerable will somehow survive the catastrophe that still looms. I am concerned about the overcrowded refugee camps, the masses of India in slums, African countries with totally inadequate medical facilities, and so many others around the world that are suffering. I’m not sure about any positives yet, perhaps too early to say. Some families have grown closer from having Dad at home, but the number of family violence cases as risen quite significantly. What shocks me the most is the greed and shortsightedness of putting economic success ahead of saving lives.

My message to the world is that we are ultimately faced with our mortality. Either we live for ourselves, “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die,” or we conclude that we are made for an eternal purpose by an Eternal Creator, and accept our accountability and responsibility to love our neighbors as ourselves. Love is stronger than hatred.

Her parents told my granddaughter that we are on holiday and that’s why she couldn’t see us. When she finally saw us, she was so delighted and said in excitement, “Nana, Dadad, holiday finish!”