Welcome to the New Abnormal- Kiwi Style

These are extraordinary times we find ourselves in globally trying to best deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Uncertainty and fear rule the day and in a time where we want to reach out and hold closer to our family and whānau, we are warned that may be the worst thing we can do.
In light of this I have decided to temporarily re-purpose this blog as a more efficient platform to share our experience here with others, with the hope of making us feel less isolated.
Here is our situation as of Sunday, March 22, 2020.
The first case was diagnosed in New Zealand February 28, a sixty year-old man returning from Iran via Bali. In the last week the number has risen from 8 to 39 (actually rising from 39 to 52 while I am composing this), most so far acquired overseas with the origin of two cases unclear. The government is trying very hard to walk the fine and indefinable line between over and under reaction. As a result, just today they upgraded from Level 1 to Level 2 alert and will any day go to Level 3 when community transmission is documented. The Ministry of Health keeps its coronavirus information up to date and if you want the real time report here is the link.
Last week, foreign visitors from most countries could still come in but all overseas arrivals were asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. As of now, only New Zealand citizens and permanent residents (which we are) are allowed to enter the country. At the beginning of the week, gatherings of >500 were banned, and as of yesterday it went down to >100. Social distancing is urged, frequent hand-washing, and as of today everyone over 70 are advised to stay at home. Restaurants, schools, movie theaters are not yet closed, and no confirmed or suspected cases have been reported in our South Canterbury region of the South Island.
I appreciate the approach the Ministry of health is taking. The risk of community transmission right here, right now is still low, but will surely soon rise. When businesses close they can be expected to be closed for weeks to months. If you start strict restrictions earlier, you prolong the consequences of the closures: unemployment, isolation, deeper economic disruption. Also, human nature indicates that compliance will wane as the weeks drag on. You want the full participation of the population when it is likely to provide the most benefit. It is a very tough call.
Our lives have already been impacted personally and professionally even prior to the coronavirus appearing here. On the personal front, Fayne and I have enjoyed a familiar weekly routine.

• Tuesday is dinner out with my medical colleagues. It has been a great source of fellowship and bonding. That has been cancelled but there is some thought to alternatives, such as take-out fish and chips on the beach sitting six feet apart. 
• Wednesday is Pub Quiz and the Sail & Anchor, hosted by Barney and noted for the sticky floor and home to the 2019 NZ Pub Quiz Championship Trophy. The Wednesday quiz will be our last for a prolonged time.
• I had reservations to go to a large New Zealand/Australian medical conference in Melbourne early May and that has already been cancelled.
• We are booked to return to the USA mid-May and go to a conference in Boston early June. That is all uncertain at this time.
• I go to the gym almost every day. That will soon stop.
• The Timaru Film Society is suspending operations for the time being.

Professionally, I am preparing for my work life to be drastically changed. Already the virus which has not yet arrived here is causing disruption. I have been involved in hours of meetings planning for catastrophe. The healthcare workforce is affected by employees with challenges returning from overseas and the 14 day mandated self-isolation. When people start getting sick the problem it will be much worse.
All of us working in healthcare have extra risk of acquiring the virus, but also the worry/danger of being asymptomatic and infecting patients, family, and friends. Just as the public doesn't focus on the risk of driving, we don't actively worry about the health dangers we face from work. Prior generations of Western hospital workers routinely were exposed to TB, polio, even smallpox. As far as I know the only significant infectious disease I have contracted was a quite distressing case of scabies, from which I am happily 100% recovered. The professionals I know will be prepared and cautious but not overly fearful. The sense of duty and the opportunity to have a specific role, something to do, spurs us on.
However, the stories out of Italy are horrific. I guiltily confess that like many Westerners, the earlier deaths and suffering in China did not have the same impact as the images of deserted streets in Rome, Milan, and Venice. Things like this reveal bigotry we hide from ourselves. When things seem "remote" we can observe them more objectively, but if you have some personal connection to someone or someplace mortally afflicted by war, AIDS, or natural disaster, it is a natural human trait to feel it more deeply and emotionally. I do dread the possibility that the in the weeks to come we will be overwhelmed by suffering and dying patients and it will be my responsibility to carry on.
I am wishing for the best fortune and health to all of us to get through this. I also know that if any of my colleagues or myself become ill, we will receive absolute best care possible from our brothers and sisters.

Rome in happier times (10/18)-The Blums at the Spanish Steps

Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome