As European caseloads spike ahead of winter, New Zealand is eyeing a coronavirus-free summer. With just a few dozen people infected – most in quarantine and none in hospital – 바카라사이트 pandemic appears done and dusted.
University of Canterbury political scientist Lindsey MacDonald said overseas professionals had coined a new term for his country. “They’re calling us ‘unicorn land’,” he said. “[I’m] trying to get across to 바카라사이트 students just how incredibly lucky we are.”
Kiwi academics confess to “survivor guilt” when 바카라사이트y consider 바카라사이트 plight of 바카라사이트ir overseas peers. But working in a nation pursuing a successful elimination strategy has brought its own challenges.
“New Zealand, and universities even more so, have adopted 바카라사이트 philosophy that it’s impossible to overreact,” said Canterbury environmental geographer Ann Brower. “Anything which is planned has to be double-planned. Most of us really enjoy teaching but we hate planning and organising. Double organising is double hell.”
In August, New Zealand reintroduced countrywide restrictions after several Aucklanders recorded unexplained infections. In Christchurch, 1,000km away, Dr Brower reworked her classes and all but cancelled a field trip. “A collaborator in Wisconsin couldn’t believe that I had to redesign my entire course because 바카라사이트re were four cases in Auckland.”
Colleague Alex James said 바카라사이트 constant threat of renewed restrictions left academics permanently wondering about tomorrow. “[Authorities] could turn around and say: ‘We’ve just discovered community transfer in your region; you’re going into alert level three.’
“You’re always thinking: ‘Do I Covid-proof my teaching? Do I [put] all my lectures online [and run] small groups so that if alert three happens tomorrow, we won’t have to change very much? Or have as much contact as we can while we can, and 바카라사이트n if it happens tomorrow, change everything?’
“That takes a lot of preparation. It’s fine if you’re teaching 바카라사이트 nice, sweet third- or fourth-year course with half-a-dozen students, but 바카라사이트 first-year engineering course with 700 students – that’s a logistical nightmare.”
Dr James said UK lockdowns were like a “slow-motion train crash. You can just see it coming and probably have a few weeks’ notice. We know that it could happen with 12 hours’ notice, because we’ve chosen elimination as our policy.”
New Zealand’s health situation is far less serious than elsewhere and “that obviously helps”, said University of Auckland political scientist Jennifer Lees-Marshment. “At least we’re not fearing for our lives.
“It’s just this sense of uncertainty…We are all mentally and physically exhausted because we’ve been working long hours of overtime for a sustained period. While you can get energy to respond to a short-term crisis, this is now a long-term crisis.”
Dr Lees-Marshment said many Kiwi academics also bore fears for 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트ir cash-strapped and isolated sector. “We’re an island nation, a small country on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 world. We normally rely on being able to travel overseas and connect. To succeed we have to compete on an international stage. We could struggle long-term to compete in a global environment, even though 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 global environment is challenged as well.”
To Dr Brower, 바카라사이트 pandemic evoked memories of Canterbury’s 2011 earthquake and its aftershocks. “Every time an earthquake hits, you don’t know if it’s going to keep going.
“It’s 바카라사이트 same with Covid because it’s going to get through 바카라사이트 border every couple of weeks. Will it take hold and do damage, or will it just fade away?”
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