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Psychologist on how Kiwis have handled the year since unprecedented lockdown

Clinical psychologist Jacqui Maguire says people are managing Covid and pandemic fatigue, while wanting to get some kind of normality back.

A year ago, the clock stopped on normality as we went hard and early to defend New Zealand from Covid-19.

1 NEWS spoke with a psychologist about how Kiwis came to terms with life being turned upside down.

When the first cases of a deadly unknown sickness were reported in early 2020, the danger seemed distant and trivial. Then, with astonishing speed, we were thrust into lockdown.

“It was a huge shock to the nation. I can remember exactly where I was sitting, what I was wearing, the look on the Prime Minister's face when that news came about,” says clinical physiologist Jacqui Maguire.

“When you are faced with the prospect of death, of major change, it really makes you stop and think what's important and who's important.”

National Lockdown

The Auckland Harbour Bridge usually sees about 170,000 vehicles each day, but during lockdown there's only a trickle of “essential” workers.

The new alert level system came into play, and on March 25 2020 New Zealand upgraded to Level 4 , resulting in a nationwide lockdown.

“Throughout that lockdown, I think we know that many people struggled, and then on the other hand, lots of people really enjoyed the break and that depends completely on your financial situation, your job certainty, whereabouts in the country you're located.”

Our team of five million were applauded around the globe for their Covid-19 response. Maguire says there was uncertainty that New Zealanders would be able to get behind the strict measures thrust upon them.

“Our wonder was perhaps New Zealanders wouldn't be so good at following rules, because we really do have a ‘do it yourself’ attitude, or ‘she'll be right’ attitude.

“So, we should be absolutely proud that we did pull together and we have done so well to stick to Government regulations.
“But we're also now managing Covid fatigue, pandemic fatigue,” she warns, “with people wanting kind of some normality of life back.”

Papatoetoe Cluster

Covid-19 community testing centre.

Despite changes and improvement to our border controls the virus crept back in. Then an unauthorised walk led to a snap lockdown for Auckland on February 28 2021.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern sternly chastised those who didn’t follow the rules saying “it is not appropriate, and it is not okay for members of the team of five million to let the rest of us down”.

“And if that means calling a family member or work colleague out for not following the rules, then we should do that. Do it with kindness, but do it.”

Maguire warns about losing the kindness in our communications, as human failings saw the narrative change.

“I think probably people in government are tired, and like all of us when we're tired, you get more irritable. The messaging this year has to be a very fine balance between outlining very clearly what we can and can't do. What's expected of us, but also keeping that kindness messaging throughout our discussions.”

Vaccination

It’s been a marathon year for border workers, who are now finally getting access to a vaccine which will help return their lives to some kind of normal.

The arrival of a vaccine to protect against the Covid-19 virus has generated hope – but the rollout is complex and for some, unwelcome.

The new community case confirmed this week is a stark reminder that we will be defending against Covid-19 for some time.

“We now know in 2021 that this may go on for a while, so how do we ensure that we stay energised and that we stay motivated to beat this pandemic together?”

Maguire says 2020 was like "sprint Covid", as we learnt how to handle lockdowns on the move. Now 2021 is about endurance.

“We're in a marathon now, we're not in a sprint, and I think that's going to take a slightly different mindset.”

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