NZ ‘lagging behind’ in moving on from Covid
A former Timaru woman says it is unsettling to see the less positive effects Covid has had on New Zealanders.
Cheryl Isles’ says she and her husband, Matthew, and daughter, Georgia, have ‘‘noticed quite a lot of change’’ in their latest return to New Zealand after three years away.
The couple, who work as teachers in Oman, on the Arabian Peninsula, are back in New Zealand to spend time with friends and family.
‘‘We’ve got the sense that people were really stressed about the pandemic,’’ the former Timaru Girls’ High School student said.
‘‘In Oman, we’ve been dealing with the pandemic longer than New Zealand has.
‘‘New Zealand closed its borders for a long time which delayed the pandemic entering the country for some time.’’
Isles said when Covid-19 restrictions in Oman were lifted, the pandemic moved to the back of people’s mind and the country was already starting to move on.
‘‘In New Zealand, Covid is still a big part of conversations. In Oman, we talk to people, and they say ‘for us, this is life now’ and here it is like ‘we’re dealing with we still have to go through it’.
‘‘We felt Covid was at the front of people’s minds here compared to the rest of the world where there was a lot more death and serious consequences.
‘‘My sense is that Covid comes much less to the forefront in conversations I have outside New Zealand. There’s much less worry and people have adapted.’’
Isles has also noticed a division between people during the pandemic.
‘‘It’s just how democracy works,’’ she said.
‘‘In Oman, the supreme council told us what to do during the pandemic, and we had to do it.
‘‘We heard stories from New Zealand before we came here and people told us they had started biking and walking during the pandemic. In Oman, we had helicopters, drones and curfews.’’
She said Oman and the rest of the world has started to move on.
‘‘New Zealand is lagging behind because we had freedom from Covid longer.’’
Isles said while some people in New Zealand were critical of the borders being closed for so long ‘‘it safeguarded the population a lot’’.
‘‘It was a good thing to be on an isolated island, have time to prepare, and the population moved on vaccinations.’’
She had returned to New Zealand two other times before the pandemic which was exciting as she much more aware of what’s happening at home, people using her first name, and it was relaxed.
‘‘We’ve travelled the world and coming back home has always been a celebration of how beautiful New Zealand is. So now it was unsettling to see less positive feelings.’’
Isles believes Kiwis would love Oman with its diverse scenery and hospitable and warm people.
‘‘I love being a gypsy and I love the world, and I’m glad to know I have paradise to come home to.’’
Isles has worked in England, Japan, Singapore while her Kiwi husband was raised in Wellington.