2. Lockdown Level Four..

Postal Services Cafe: a colourful corner of Old Grey Lynn during Level 4 Lockdown…

So Covid is here again- and the much more infectious Delta variant too.  We have now been in Lockdown Level 4 for 2 weeks, and we have just heard that Auckland and Northland are likely to remain in Level 4 for a further 2 weeks, probably until September 15th, and maybe longer…?

We’re very lucky to have Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield as our reassuring leaders on television most days, explaining the decisions Government is making and the reasons for them.  We are  also very grateful for the challenging work  being done every day by all the front-line workers throughout the country.

We are allowed to go out for a daily walk or bike ride for exercise, and some occasional shopping, as long as we wear a mask and log in to any shop we visit.  We’re lucky that our favourite nearby shops, Huckleberry / Harvest (the organic shop in Richmond Road) and the dairy next door are open each day, so we’re not short of food or other household supplies.   Up the road, in old Grey Lynn, we can also buy milk, a variety of foodstuffs, and a daily newspaper .  So we don’t have to go to any huge supermarkets.

 The streets are quieter than they were last time round- and more people are wearing masks in the street.  The seriousness of this fast-spreading infection seems to have sunk in for most of us.   

And of course we are aware that many groups in our community are struggling to survive in this harsh environment, especially those  who have lost their homes, or sources of income, and those struggling with crowded households and children’s education  to manage.