Lockdown gloom for expats in UK
The United Kingdom is preparing to endure a third Covid-19 lockdown as the new mutant strain of the virus ravages the country.
Yesterday’s announcement, however, came as no shock to some Kiwi expats enduring the pandemic in the UK.
Sam Tylee, a 28-year-old originally from the Wairarapa who has lived in the UK for more than four years, described the announcement from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as anticlimactic.
‘‘I wasn’t actually shocked to be honest ... I think that it was inevitable because they can’t vaccinate people quick enough.’’
Alex Bradford from Mt Maunganui echoed those sentiments.
‘‘It wasn’t unexpected, to be honest. We’ve basically been in lockdown since March last year, in and out of the different tier systems that just don’t seem to be that effective. It’s almost like people just don’t listen.
‘‘We knew it was coming.’’ The tier system was introduced after the second nationwide lockdown ended on December 2. The latest lockdown is expected to last until at least mid-February. The new measures were introduced in a bid to combat the rapid spread of the new B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant.
Speaking to Stuff from Manchester, where he has lived for more than three years, Bradford said his start to 2021 differed drastically to that of his friends and family back in New Zealand. He described it as ‘‘gloomy’’.
Tylee added: ‘‘It’s pretty depressing and to look at everybody at home going to like all the festivals and the beach and having a summer ... I don’t know why I rent a bedroom in central London just to work from it.’’
Tylee, who works as a financial analyst in London while studying accounting, has been working from home for almost a year. So has Bradford.
Working from home will continue to be the norm as all nonessential businesses have been ordered to close. Schools, colleges and universities across the country will also close. Restaurants are allowed to operate takeaway services.
The strict lockdown requirements aren’t drastically different to the life Bradford has been living with his partner, who is deemed critically vulnerable to the virus.
‘‘We’ve been shielding since March 2020, so we’re coming up [on] a year that we haven’t been outside. We’ve been staying away from everyone ... getting food deliveries.’’
When the couple return from a trip to the shops they remove their masks at the door and immediately put them into the washing machine, wash their hands, and disinfect the shopping bags before bringing them inside.
‘‘We’re not taking the chance,’’ Bradford said.
In contrast, he’s seen people acting as though the pandemic is over. ‘‘People up here haven’t been taking it overly serious, which is kind of not the thing that you want to see.’’
Because of this, he doesn’t believe the strict lockdown measures will successfully suppress transmission.
The lack of hard restrictions
over the Christmas and New Year period resulted in an explosion of cases across the country. A number of Tylee’s friends all became infected in a short space of time.
Both expats have considered coming back to New Zealand, but the difficulties associated with moving across the world during a pandemic prevailed.
‘‘It’s hard being stuck on the other side of the world ... trying to get back is just impossible,’’ Bradford said.
The varied restrictions throughout the year have made Tylee question why he is in London.
‘‘All of my friends have slowly gone home now, so there’s not many of us left.’’