I live in New Zealand, a country that imposed a very strict lockdown about seven weeks ago. Our curve flattened, our cases went down, and on Monday this week we were informed we were going to “level 2” on Thursday, which means much of life would return to normal.
On Thursday and Friday, I had a few errands to do in downtown Wellington (what we call the CBD, or Central Business District). Most stores were open and doing business, but I didn’t see a lot of customers. The streets had a good number of people walking around, but it wasn’t congested.
Restaurants have been asked to follow “the three S’s” meaning you should be spaced, seated, and served by a single person. Bars have been asked to hold off one week before opening at all. I went to a brewery that serves food on Friday night, and got to see the process first-hand.
At the front of the restaurant, there was a notebook. I recorded my name, address, phone number, email address, and time I visited. Then I squirted some of the provided sanitiser on my hands and rubbed it in thoroughly. Seating was definitely spaced out. There were only two tables being served before us, so there was no risk of getting too close.
When I tried to get a glass of wine on its own, I was told I had to get food as well. Makes sense, since bars aren’t allowed yet. The food was delicious.
I asked how business had been, and the server said it had been slow but they were hoping for a pick-up over the weekend. And the following week, with bars opening back up, they were expecting an even bigger uptick.
It was a nice time out, and it was made better by our low numbers. In the last five days, we’ve only recorded one new case. And that case is a bit controversial because it’s from a person who had symptoms two months ago, had been in quarantine, and had tested negative since then. So technically it’s a case, but not particularly concerning.
We’ll wait to see if any of these restaurants will be able to stay open if they can only be 50% full at best. We’ll wait to see what our unemployment numbers end up hitting. All we can do is wait and figure out what passes for normalcy now.
NZ Immigrant Blog 