The Year of the Mask

The Board continues to open the public water tap during lockdown as part of its service
It’s funny what you think about when you’re in a queue. It’s not as philosophical as Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot,’ rather it’s more of the brain meandering through the mundane. Crossing off  and dotting the mental t’s and i’s. Waiting outside the Portobello store on the Otago Peninsula during lockdown with people you’ve known for years is just part of the unworldly experiences Covid19 has brought to our community. Not for the first time our psychological masks have been replaced with real ones and our unguarded moments have become guarded ones.
The sense of openness that normally pervades our community has been closed off lately as we try to make sense of things beyond our familial bubble. Not that the humanity or good humour of people has disappeared from Peninsula, but is hard to remain positive under an itchy layer of fabric or thin disposable paper. Spare a thought too for those of us who for whatever reason seem to have unusually shaped heads. I have personally found finding a mask that actually fits across my face and over my ears extremely challenging. I have resorted to using a bandana which when entering the local store looks as though I’m going rob the place.
Mask selection can be difficult during lockdown, though a 17th century plaque mask should not be your first choice
Speaking of paper masks, when Lockdown’21 was first announced the last thing I was thinking about was how much toilet paper we had in the house. Its extraordinary that what we wipe our bum with is a major source of panic-buying and hoarding in New Zealand.  It says a lot about the New Zealand psyche that as long as we have toilet paper and alcohol we can survive anything! The panic-buying is the one thing that during lockdown reveals the worst in people. On the other hand having our store and pharmacy open says a lot about the services that we have here on the Otago Peninsula. Not too mention the men and women of the volunteer fire brigade, medical centre and our hardworking sole charge police officer. It’s those services and the people that run them that reminds you there are people in our community who care.  

Perhaps one of the other surprising things about Lockdown’21 has been seeing police checkpoints on the Portobello Road and in the main street of Portobello. The fact that we actually need to have a checkpoint is worrying, given that we are supposed to be in our own bubbles and undertaking recreation within our own neighbourhood. Over the last few weeks though the Otago Peninsula has had a significant number of visitors and the numbers from outside of the Peninsula community have been substantial. As a tourist and visitor destination we normally welcome visitors, but I’m afraid this time we have to be more cautious. Saying that though, a second lockdown is hard on our local businesses who rely on the visitor market for their revenue. The quicker we develop safe travel through vaccination and quarantine practices the better off those businesses will be. 

With today being the first day of Level 3 its hard not to have some sense of positivity that we are nearing the end of the Lockdown’21, but we must continue to be vigilant and cautious. I just hope there will be enough toilet paper to go around.

By Paul on the Peninsula

I'm Paul Pope the Chairman of the Otago Peninsula Community Board. I was elected to the Board in 2013 and became chair in 2016. I bring a wealth of experience, common sense and a community focused perspective. I've created this blog to let people know my personal views and opinions on some of the issues that affect our community. Its also an opportunity for people to contact me, offer their advice or share a problem.

Leave a Reply