The increased frequency of pandemics, including the outbreak of Covid-19 is most likely a consequence of exponential growth of human populations, scientist, Dr Victor Luca said.

“The science is telling us that climate change is a real existential threat to humanity. If mother Earth dies, then so do we and all future generations, so we had better learn how to look after her and be good custodians”, he said.

“Seldom in the history of science has a consensus on a scientific theory been as strongly supported as that which has “us humans are the principal cause of climate change”.

“You can take it to the bank. We are largely responsible”.

Climate change is an obvious consequence of exponential growth in human populations, economic activity, resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, Dr Luca said.

“The beneficial consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on climate change is a temporary and very unfortunate way of reducing emissions because people will die and we don’t want that.”

“We should be reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by other means, because if we don’t, many more people will die. It shouldn’t have taken a tiny virus 0.10 microns in diameter to force us to think about what we are doing,” he said.

“Viruses in an unconstrained setting grow exponentially. We humans have been growing exponentially on this planet, therefore from the Earth’s perspective we humans are viruses,” he said.

“Viruses require a host, and as far as we are concerned, mother Earth is our host, so, we had better learn how not to kill our host, because if she dies, so do we, together with all future generations.”

Earlier this month Copernicus, the EU’s Earth Observation Programme satellite measurements showed that levels of PM2.5 pollution over China in February 2020 were down by 20-30 percent compared to the average for the same month in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 period.

It has been reported that in China the effect of this reduced air-pollution resulting from reduced use internal combustion engine vehicles and reduced industrial output, if it were extended over one year, it would result in the avoidance of “54,000 to 109,000 premature deaths”.

“Air pollution results in more than about seven million premature deaths per year globally. Air pollution can be taken as a proxy for greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

Below is shown a snapshot of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions by sector and a breakdown by source.

Dr Luca said given that the energy sector (Figure 1a) is one of largest contributing sectors, and that transportation is a large chunk of that (Figure 1b), then it followed that if we removed cars from the roads, as had happened since the Covid-19 lockdown, then it was obvious that we were going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions quite substantially.

“If in turn, we need to use less power because industry has been shut down, then there you have an additional reduction in greenhouse gas output. About 15 percent of the electricity generated in New Zealand results from the burning of coal and gas and if we require less power, presumably we could shut this down.”

“It shouldn’t have taken a global pandemic to reduce emissions. We know what we have to do, we simply need snap out of our sleepwalk and muster the collective will to act. We need to educate all our people to understand the arithmetic and consequences of growth, conserve the use and consumption of everything, outlaw planned obsolescence, reuse and recycle almost everything,  invest money in research to develop clean energy technologies, realize that it is unscientific to promote ever increasing rates of consumption and not sit back and deplore the lack of readership,

“We all must lead,” he said.

Dr Luca

New Zealand has been in lockdown for over a week now, and many of us are starting to feel bored, anxious, and a bit uncertain about our futures. In an effort to be of service to those in her community, local businesswoman Tee A Gardner has created a Facebook group that offers free lessons in business, spirituality, and self-development.

Ms has been on a personal growth journey for the past few years, challenging long held mindsets that were holding her back from her full potential. She hopes that by sharing her own story, and the many lessons she has learned along the way, she can help others reach their own potential.

“I grew up with a belief that I was really not worthy of many things,” she say. “I took that belief based on the perception I had of my childhood at the time.”

“Growing up poor, I automatically attached this belief that money was really hard to get, and that not everyone got it,” she said. “I really believed that how much money someone had was related to how worthy they were.”

Having that mindset affected the way she managed her money, often letting go of it as soon as she had it. But that feeling of unworthiness also showed up in other areas of her life, including friendships and relationships.

“The two main relationships I had in my life were unhealthy and, really, reflections on my own beliefs of low self-worth,” she said.

Things got so bad that, in one horrifying instance, her ex-partner set her house on fire.

“Even though that was the most terrifying moment of my life, it’s the moment that I was most grateful for,” Ms Gardner said. “Because I realized I couldn’t keep hiding, I couldn’t keep denying what was going on inside me.”

Although she doesn’t justify her former partner’s actions, she realised that there had to be a reason she kept attracting those types of relationships. What followed was the beginning of her personal development journey.

Being a solo mum to two kids, she turned to free online resources.

“What I would do was get all my mum duties done at night, and then sit in my room and watch YouTube videos,” she said. “I started off watching Tony Robbins, The Secret, all of those quite typical things.”

She scoured the internet for free courses and books, slowly appreciating the power of the mind when it comes to making real changes.

One of her first realizations was that she was unhappy in the work she was doing.

“It was at that time I started to learn about the Law of Attraction,” Ms Gardner said. “So, I started playing little games where I tried to manifest things like car parks or bumping into certain people on the street. Little games to help prove to me in a way that this stuff was real.”

Eventually, she made bigger requests and created a vision board: she wanted to leave her job within 12 months.

Around the same time, she decided to change the way she approached work. Instead of bemoaning going in each day, she sought out those things she enjoyed the most about her job — such as talking with clients on the phone — and they started to happen more often.

Not only that, but it was only within one month of making that intention to leave that she suddenly had the opportunity to do so.

“I changed my own vibration, my own frequency at work,” she explained. “So, while I was doing work, I got the opportunity to step into something that actually had nothing to do with doing that job.”

That was the push she needed and shortly after she created the highly popular Zoe Journal, her first ecommerce business.

“That was based upon my own journey,” she said. “I basically took a practice that I had created myself and I put it into a book so that others could use it.”

“That business probably taught me some of the most massive lessons in my life, especially around the fact that our businesses are never separate from us; they are always a reflection of us.”

Although Ms Gardner was selling a product that encouraged people to look within and follow their heart, she was not following her own advice when it came to running her business.

“There was this massive misalignment that I wasn’t listening to my own heart about how the business was run. It came back to self-worth again,” she explained. “I didn’t have enough belief in myself to do things. I was listening to everyone else’s opinions on how things ought to be run.”

Feeling like she was failing at business and at life, she decided to take a much-needed break. In her downtime, she turned inwards and started on her spiritual journey.

“At the time, I was quite standoff-ish when it came to spirituality,” she said. “But the further I was getting into personal development, the more I was being shown spirituality.”

“That’s when I started to see the things that were going on in my business at the time were all based upon my own beliefs. And they weren’t actually beliefs about the business, they were beliefs about myself. So, I started to work on those things, and things started to shift really fast.”

Eventually, Ms Gardner dropped The Zoe Journal and focused instead on other ventures, including affiliate marketing, online coaching, and even retreats. Now feeling the happiest she has ever been, she wants to give back by sharing those lessons with others.

“I’ve created a Facebook group and within there is my way where I’m sharing, as best I can, free value,” she explains. “It’s a place as well where other people can contribute. We have a graphic designer coming, for example, and she’s going to share some things on branding.”

The Facebook group — “RADICAL Self Belief. A Group For Entrepreneurs To Raise Vibration ” – is perfect for anyone with an entrepreneurial mindset who is also interested in spirituality and personal growth.

“Now would have to be the most challenging experience that has happened in my lifetime, that has affected the whole world,” Ms Gardner said. “I’m in a position to help people shift their frequencies, and feel better, and learn how to do those things within themselves. It’s just a really beautiful opportunity.”

In addition to business-focused content, she will be sharing recipes, personal projects, and other activities that are a part of her daily lifestyle. Her belief is that by working on yourself, and challenging limiting beliefs, one can positively affect all areas of life, including business and relationships.

“Although a lot of people may only try these things while in lockdown,” she said. “We can at least plant the seeds in people to make this an everyday thing.”

john.morin@thebeacon.co.nz

THE number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Eastern Bay remains at one following an update by Toi te Ora Public Health yesterday.

An Opotiki man aged in his 70s is recovering at his home after contracting the illness. He and his partner had recently returned home from overseas.

Opotiki mayor Lyn Riesterer told the Beacon last week the couple were in self-isolation and had received support from the community.

The total number of cases in the Bay of Plenty is now 32, with eight cases in Rotorua and four in Taupo. Nationally, there have been 67 new confirmed and probable cases, bringing the total to 1106.

There are no additional deaths and 176 cases have recovered.

Thirteen people are in hospital, including one person in Tauranga Hospital. There are no cases in Whakatane Hospital. Three people are in ICU – one in Wellington, two in Auckland, with one person in a critical condition.

Testing has continued over the weekend, with an average of 2846 tests a day, seven days a week

The total of lab tests to date is 39,918.

For those cases the Ministry of Health has information on, there is still a strong link to overseas travel (43 percent), as well as links to confirmed cases within New Zealand (38 percent) including those in clusters and community transmission (2 percent).

The ethnicity breakdown of the confirmed cases is:

European or other: 73.5 percent
Asian – 8.4 percent
Unknown – 6.7 percent
Maori – 7.8 percent
Pacific Peoples – 3.4 percent

Although the number of cases of Covid-19 has increased by four overnight on Tuesday in the Bay of Plenty, the Eastern Bay remains unchanged with only one case, in Opotiki.

The Ministry of Health reported today there were 54 new confirmed and probable cases countrywide overnight on Tuesday.

This brings to 36 the total number of cases in the Bay of Plenty, including 35 in the Western Bay, and one in the Eastern Bay, Toi Te Ora Public Health reports. Rotorua has eight cases and Taupo four.

Countrywide, the total was 1160 and there were no additional deaths, the Ministry of Health said.
A total of 241 people have recovered, while 12 people are in hospital, including four in ICU – one in Wellington, one in Waitemata, one in Counties Manukau and one in Southern district health boards. One person is in a critical condition.

There is still a strong link to overseas travel (42 percent), as well as links to confirmed cases within New Zealand (41 percent) including those in clusters we already know about and community transmission (2 percent).
The ethnicity breakdown of the confirmed cases is:
· European or other – 73.3 percent

• Asian – 8.5 percent
• Unknown – 6.9 percent
• Maori – 7.8 percent
• Pacific peoples – 3.4 percent

An average of 3063 tests for Covid-19 are being done daily, with the total number now totalling 42,826.
The Ministry of Health said its test capacity continued to increase and it had supplies in stock for nearly 44,000 tests.

“We expect to have between 50,000 to 60,000 complete tests in stock by the end of the week.
“We have 50,000 nasal swabs in stock, and we are expecting 250,000 more from a local supplier within the next three to four weeks.”

The World Health Organisation yesterday provided updated advice on mask use – particularly by the general public.

The WHO does not recommend the use of medical masks by the general public except in particular circumstances – where someone is sick and wearing a mask protects others or when someone is caring for a sick person and the mask can help protect them.

Health services continue to have capacity to provide treatment. Healthline’s normal line is 0800 611 116
The ministry also announced the start of a range of initiatives to provide support during the Covid-19 response.

Getting Through Together is the first initiative to be launched and has been developed by All Right? a collaboration between Canterbury DHB and the Mental Health Foundation, to provide Kiwis with a range of information and resources to help give practical advice and support during COVID-19.

Getting Through Together also includes the Sparklers at Home programme, which will help parents talk with their primary-school-aged children about mental health and wellbeing. This has been developed from the original Sparklers initiative, a school-based programme with a great track record.

Further initiatives to support mental health and wellbeing will be coming over the next two weeks. These include initiatives designed specifically for Maori, Pacific, older people, people with chronic health conditions or compromised immunity, and pregnant women and new mothers.

The Government is also very aware of the impact Covid-19 is having on frontline health workers and is looking at what additional support is needed for the health workforce.

kathy.forsyth@thebeacon.co.nz

WHILE getting work done via Zoom meetings has been proving a challenge, Eastern Bay elected members are using lockdown to spend quality time with family and learn some new skills.

Whakatane Mayor Judy Turner said adapting to Zoom meetings for work had required a sense of humour for all involved.

“Those who are tech heroes have had to be very patient with the tech Neanderthals amongst us,” she said.

“Because we have no idea how long this isolation period will extend, it has been important for us all to get up to speed with the technology that we are likely to be relying on for some time yet as we all commit to keeping each other safe.”

Aside from the technology mishaps, lockdown is progressing well for Mrs Turner as she jokes, she and her husband have not filed for divorce yet.

“My favourite lockdown activity is daily conversations with my kids and grandkids on Facetime,” she said.

“We are normally all very busy people and contact is normally weekly at best. So daily interaction and the daily family banter has been fun.”

Whakatane councillor Lesley Immink has also been keeping busy reading “a multitude of council documents in preparation for annual plan discussions.

“While councillors and staff are not able to meet face to face, we will meet via video conferencing – it’s not ideal but hopefully it will assist us keeping the business as usual momentum moving,” she said.

“We live in Wairaka and I’m enjoying the peace and quiet of Muriwai Drive without the cars, motorbikes and yahoos on the reserve, racing up and down.

“A key observation for me during this period is how many cyclists we have and the age range of cyclists. As I’m not in the cycling fraternity it has given me a good insight into the number of people who cycle, and I can appreciate more the Active Whakatane initiatives they are trying to promote across the district.”

Mrs Immink has been in lockdown with her husband, Walter, and daughter Vanessa, who was in self-isolation after returning from Adelaide.

“She has been living upstairs in her own cocoon – aside from the 15 minute per day, obligatory gin on the deck with Mum, two metres apart,” Mrs Immink said.

“She’s in excellent health and we expect that to continue.

“Walter works at Whakatane Board Mills and are an essential service so working as normal for which we are grateful for.

“I’m the designated family shopper for ourselves and my parents (who also live in town), and I’d like to acknowledge and give a virtual high five to all our essential and health care workers.”

Being the designated family shopper during the lockdown also brings its own challenges. When ordering vegetables online Mrs Immink accidentally ordered four kilograms of each item instead of just four items.

“I wasn’t very diligent in checking the price but thought casually it was a bit more expensive that I was expecting,” she said.

“The order arrived and guess what? I had actually ordered 4kgs of lemons, onions and bananas – that is a lot of each.   We’ve shared our excess with other family and looks like banana and lemon cakes coming up.”

As well as keeping up to date with council work, Mrs Immink has been mastering the art of sudoku which she says she has not had the inclination or patience to learn previously.

“I’m pleased to report I’ve graduated to tougher/hard sudokus although Walter the sudoku master says there are more sudoku levels to come.”

It’s not just councillors keeping up with their work via Zoom meetings, local Labour List MP Kiri Allan has been sitting on the Epidemic Response Committee each workday morning via video conferencing.

“I spend half of each day in committee and the other half calling around the elderly in our community to make sure they’re okay as well as running around after my toddler,” she said.

“I have made a number of obstacle courses, a new one every day as well as several Lego towers.”

Ms Allan is also working on refining the perfect roast potato and said her roast lamb rack is “on point”

“I am also enjoying eating home baked cupcakes and cinnamon rolls,” she said.

“As well as spotting all the teddies in the windows in our walks around Edgecumbe.”

Whakatane councillor Julie Jukes is also refining some of her skills in the kitchen and recently tackled making keto bread.

“I’m doing things that I never usually have time to do,” she said.

“I’m reading books instead of council agendas. I’m cycling and walking the dogs twice each day.  The dogs are loving the extra walks.  I’ve watched some of those movies that I wanted to see but never quite got around to watching.

“When the going gets toug,h the tough get going and that’s what we are all doing. Take care and look after yourself and others.”

Councillor John Pullar said his time in quarantine had been a time to reflect, stop and look around and take up the technology challenge.

“Just staying safe and mowing the lawns and learning to read slower so the books last longer,” he said.

While some have been taking the chance to learn new skills at home, Whakatane councillor Victor Luca said, like bears, he would like to hibernate for the winter and live off his body fat for the next six months to wake up just in time for summer.

“At university a wise-arse mate of mine gave me the nick-name “Bear’s Arse” and it stuck like the proverbial,” he said.

“I presume/hope it was in reference to the fact that I was usually unshaven. However, bears are supposed to be intelligent animals.

“Since I can’t hibernate, I guess we will have to make do with self-isolation. Hibernation and self-isolation are part of what they call ‘suppression’ strategies.”

“The other option is to fight this virus with PPE, vaccines, drugs, disinfectants and anything else in the scientific arsenal.

“I have observed that Russia, with a population of about 145 million people, so far has relatively few confirmed Covid-19 cases and deaths for a country of its size. So, what is the secret to Russia’s success?

“Options:

1. They do bugger all testing in Russia.
2. They have a high level of innate immunity.
3. If radiation and biological weapons developments didn’t get them, then nothing will. Natural selection!”

“Maybe the isolation is getting to me,” Mr Luca mused.

Judy Turner’s famous chicken tikka recipe

1- Coat diced chicken tenderloins with 2 tbsp. tandoori paste and 2 tbsp. plain yoghurt. Fan bake in oven at 200c

2- Mix the following ingredients together into a dark brown paste and cook for 2-3 minutes in a frying pan

– 1 tsp hot curry powder

– 1 heaped tsp garam masala

– 1 level tsp turmeric

– 1/8 tsp chilli powder

– 1 heaped tsp crushed ginger

– 1 tsp crushed garlic

– 1 tsp fresh crushed chilli

– 1 tsp salt

– 2-3 tbsp. rice bran oil

3- Add 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes and cook together 

4- Add chicken to sauce and turn off heat

5- Add 1/2 cup of milk

6- Serve with rice and garnish with fresh chopped coriander.

Ngati Manawa has become the latest iwi to set up a checkpoint and restrict access to its lands for outsiders.

Forty volunteers will be overseeing the two checkpoints 24/7, with one set up at the Rangitaiki Bridge across from the Murupara Motor Camp and the other on Troutbeck Road.

Project leader Leila Rewi said the iwi saw the need to create the checkpoints a week after lockdown came into effect after witnessing hunters and tourists frequently crossing their land to access Te Urewera.

“There is a checkpoint set up at Te Urewera too and we found they were hunting in between here and there,” she said.

“We still have people coming from Whakatane and Rotorua. No one is staying home, no one is listening.”

She said there were still those who went out for drives as though the lockdown had never happened.

The checkpoints have been a true community effort with an overseeing roopu responsible for communications, monitoring and sourcing resources formed of Ngati Manawa pakeke from each hapu marae as well as a police liaison, rangatahi and community representatives.

This is in addition to the volunteers manning the checkpoints.

Ms Rewi said anyone who was not a resident of Murupara, Galatea, Rerewhakaitu, Kaingaroa, Waiohau, Te Whaiti, Minginui or Ruatahuna would be asked to turn back.

The exception would be essential workers or those travelling to Murupara from Te Urewera for supplies.

“Legally we can’t stop them, but we will be trying to educate them as they reach our checkpoints,” she said.

“We still have people here travelling to the Pak ‘n Saves in Whakatane and Rotorua to do their shopping but we will be asking them to do their shopping here at the local Four Square because they risk bringing Covid-19 back from the supermarket with them.”

Ms Rewi said there was only one medical centre to service the entire rohe and if there was an outbreak of Covid-19 it could be devastating for the community.

Checkpoint volunteers will be wearing face masks and disposable gloves, keeping a distance of two metres from those stopped and keeping interactions to a minimum of five minutes.

Those stopped will be asked their reasons for leaving or entering the rohe and names, registration numbers and times in and out will be recorded.

Ms Rewi said this should help track the cause of any [possible outbreak.

She said if there was any trouble, the volunteers had the support and a direct line to police.

The checkpoints will stay in place until the Level Four alert has been lifted at which point they will be reviewed.

“Prevention is better than a cure,”Ms Rewi said.

DOGS are part of your isolation bubbles and should be kept on leads when out walking.

Whakatane District Council has been receiving a number of calls about dogs not being under proper control during the nationwide lockdown and asks people to keep their dogs on a lead when out walking.

Council manager community regulation Graeme Lewer said the law still applied and dogs had to be on a lead while in a public place.

“Yes, usually your dog is allowed off leash in a dog exercise area, but if you allow your dog to go up to people and other dogs and your recall is not good, then you are breaching people’s two-metre distance to retrieve your dog,” he said.

“This is not okay as you are putting other people’s health at risk.”

Mr Lewer said transmission from animal to animal was unlikely, and pets were unlikely to get sick, but they could have the virus on their coats and pass it along to their families.

“Imagine if you could see Covid-19 and the virus turned whatever it touched pink,” he said.

“If someone gets the virus, and they might not be aware, they cough on their hands and their hands are now pink.

“They touch their dog, their dog is now pink.

“Their dog runs up to your dog and interacts, your dog is now pink.

“You touch your dog, your hands are now pink.

“You touch your face, you are now at extreme risk of getting Covid-19.”

Mr Lewer said dogs with Covid-19 on their coats could also infect surfaces such as sofas or floors.

“So please, walk with your dogs on a lead and do not let your children touch other people’s animals while you are out walking,” he said.

“Stay in your bubble, stay out of trouble.

If it comes to crisis point, the Bay of Plenty’s district health boards and hospitals may not be able to cope with a severe outbreak of Covid-19.

Medical staff would be stretched to their limits, resulting in deaths, and iwi and hapu in the rohe want to know, if the worst-case scenario were to happen, who would bury their people?

The Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918 serves as a stark reminder of the cause and effect of outbreaks and the subsequent high death rate of Maori, seven times that of the Pakeha population, raises questions about the care and protection of Maori whakapapa (genealogy).

Ngati Tawhaki hapu chairman Hemana Waaka said he saluted the Prime Minister’s decision to initiate a level 4 lockdown, however, the priority had been saving lives with no thought spared for Maori policies and execution of protocols and tangihanga.

“Perhaps someone has forgotten to address what our processes are when we move into tangihanga mode. There was no consultation from the Government with regard to leaving our homes to support grieving whanau, and further to my point, no thought was given to the burial of a loved one.

Mr Waaka said tangihanga protocols for Maori has not been addressed properly by the Government.

“Have they consulted with our Maori leaders outside of politics, I don’t think so,” he said.

Confusion reigns when it comes to Maori tangihanga and the government directives for whanau to remain at home “pose for us Maori, a huge problem”.

“Only allowing one member from that family with their deceased is not okay,” he said. “Who’s going to accompany the body from the undertakers? What about the return trip to the urupa for burial?”

“Hapu and marae have their own burial grounds, so, who do they think is responsible for preparing the hole. Whanau will have to breach the government self-isolation rules to support the grieving process by preparing the hole and to allow a minister to conduct the ceremony.

“Nobody seems to have thought about our own tikanga and protocols when it comes to funerals. Maori should be allowed out of their bubbles to support the grieving party,” he said.

“As kaumatua to the whanau of the deceased, we have an obligation to support that whanau if they belong to our marae or hapu, and more so if the body is coming back to their final resting place.

Mr Waaka said he could recall when Te Puea Marae rescued the homeless in South Auckland through the offer of accommodation. Mataatua Marae and Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi also opened their doors following the White Island crisis.

“We as Maori put our hands up to assist during natural disasters and crisis. It’s called Maori manaakitanga (hospitality).

“We didn’t wait for the government to tell us what to do, instead we rose to the call of aroha and addressed emergency situations.

“Now I ask the question of our government and our Maori MPs,” Mr Waaka said.

“What measures did they take to support their local Maori electorates prior to the lock-down in support of hapu and marae when it came to tangihanga during level four.

“Common sense prevails for supporting the bereaved whanau at hapu or marae tikanga, but there is no indication by government to support Maoridom and allow whanau to assist with burial duties at our urupa and the protocols that go with that.

“My view and many share the same view, is that our government has not consulted enough Maori.

“We want to bury our own with dignity when it comes to preparation and conclusions at the urupa” he said.

delilah.whaitiri@thebeacon.co.nz

THERE continues to be a reduction in crime while the region is in lockdown.

Senior Sergeant Al Fenwick said Eastern Bay police had seen a significant decrease in car crime, theft and burglary.

“The public has been really good; people are generally behaving themselves,” Mr Fenwick said.

“The public is really understanding and on the whole really well behaved.”

However, there are still people making unnecessary journeys away from their home and bubble, according to Mr Fenwick.

“There are still people making unnecessary trips and they are asked to go home.

“After dark, if you are out driving at night, expect to be stopped by us. There’s no reason you should be out at night.”

“As Jacinda said, ‘Go home and be kind to one-another’.”

Mr Fenwick said police were relying on members of the public to take responsibility for their actions and stick to the guidelines.

“We are relying on those in self-isolation, and now with a confirmed case, to do the right thing.”

Eastern Bay police are still confident and have all the required personal protective equipment they need to safely operate.

Mr Fenwick estimates around 20 extra staff have been redeployed to the street to assist with patrols, ranging from criminal investigation branch staff to youth aid officers and others.

“Staff are still upbeat, and we have extra staff on the frontline,” he said.

“Everybody has stepped up to the plate and is doing their part during this time.”

hazel.osborne@thebeacon.co.nz

DOCTOR Victor Luca and Sandy Milne try to help readers understand the threat this new virus presents and offer some survival tips.

They compare the Covid-19 virus with the flu virus, a common respiratory virus which is less lethal, in order to assist others in understanding the seriousness of the current situation.

There are four types of influenza virus, A, B, C and D.

Human influenza A and B viruses cause seasonal epidemics of disease (commonly known as the flu) almost every winter all over the world.

Influenza A viruses are the only influenza viruses known to cause flu pandemics, ie, global epidemics of flu disease.

We have been fighting influenza for centuries. The battle to protect populations by vaccination is eternal because all viruses change continuously, and as they change, scientists need to modify the vaccine.

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the novel virus that causes the Covid-19 disease, came to prominence in Wuhan, China in December of last year. This virus is new, and scientists don’t yet know all that much about the virus and the disease, and uncertainty abounds.

However, what should be obvious to anyone by now is that this virus is easily transmitted from one person to another. There is general agreement that the main way that the virus spreads is through contact and droplets.

Contact means that you touch something that an infected person has touched or contaminated and then by touching your mouth, nose or eyes you become infected yourself.

The virus needs to somehow get into the body. Contact transmission is relatively easy to defend against.

Simply don’t put your hands anywhere near an entry point to your body and wash, wash, wash your hands.

You should wear gloves also but be careful how you take them off as they should be considered contaminated once used.

There is a right way and a wrong way. Your hands may have cuts and scratches, and these would provide an entry point also, so be careful. Consider your skin a shield.

Droplet transmission is another whole other kettle of fish. A functional definition of a droplet in the present context is a drop of fluid having a diameter in the range 10-100 microns.

When an infected person coughs, sneezes or even breaths and talks they don’t just produce droplets that fall short distances away from the infected individual. Coughs may produce aerosols.

An aerosol is the suspension of a solid or liquid in air. Aerosols such as those listed below, are at the core of environmental problems, such as global warming, photochemical smog, stratospheric ozone depletion and poor air quality.

Examples of aerosols include dust, fume, smoke, fog and mist. Bio-aerosols may include bacteria, fungi, viruses and pollen. For reference, pollen grains can range from 20-100 microns and cause many of us plenty of respiratory grief.

The electron microscope image of a selection of pollen grains is pictured right. Note that the spikes look similar to the SARS-CoV-2 virus particle.

So, an aerosol is a suspension of fine particles or fluid droplets that are a lot less than 10 microns in diameter. Think of fly spray or what your breath looks like on a cold winter’s day or the smoke a smoker generates. Aerosols, depending on their size, can remain suspended for more than 30 minutes and travel large distances.

In fact when we cough, sneeze, breath and talk we produce a range of droplet sizes, some relatively large that fall short distances and some very fine that remain suspended in the air.

The scientific community has been arguing for years whether influenza A can be transmitted as an aerosol. The term “airborne” is also used for aerosol.

Our reading of the past and current scientific literature is leading us to the conclusion that there is very good evidence to suggest that influenza A transmission via aerosols could potentially be an important transmission mechanism.

It would certainly explain the infectiousness of the disease and why we have never been able to rid ourselves of it after 100 years or more of battle.

If airborne transmission is viable for influenza A, then why would it not also be viable for SARS-CoV-2, the cause of Covid-19 disease.

The two viruses are in many ways similar viruses. Nevertheless, the United States centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation have not ruled this mode transmission in. But nor have they ruled it out. And we in New Zealand appear to be waiting from a message from on high before taking action.

Both the influenza A virus and SARS-CoV-2 are corona viruses.

The word corona means “crown” in Latin and refers to the spike proteins that surround the outer membrane shell.

Both viruses carry Ribonucleic Acid (the molecule responsible for replication) and they cannot replicate without a host cell; viruses are parasites.

The influenza A virus has a diameter of around 100 nanometers (0.1 microns). And guess what; so, does the SARS-CoV-2 virus? See the electron microscope images of these two viruses, pictured bottom left. Note that the colours are fake. An electron microscope is a powerful microscope that can achieve magnifications much larger than the optical microscopes most people will be familiar with.

You don’t have to know much about viruses to see the similarity in size and general appearance of these two viruses.

Since these virus particles are essentially made up of the same elements including carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, they have approximately the same density, and since the size and density is similar, they should easily be able to become airborne.

If influenza A virus can become airborne as the science suggests, then so can SARS-CoV-2.

Since Covid-19 is a potentially deadly respiratory infection, if the tiny virus particles remain suspended in the air we are breathing, then they can end-up going directly into our lungs, and that is a huge problem.

Confined spaces are not good places to be when there are airborne deadly virus particles present. The best practical protection that is available at the moment is an appropriate face mask.

By appropriate, we mean a mask that can filter out virus particles with high efficiency.

You may have heard a lot about a mask designated as N95 and/or P2. The masks are made of a material that acts like a sieve. The holes or pores in the mask material have to be about the same size as the virus particles.

The masks are made of a material that acts like a sieve. The holes or pores in the mask material has to be about the same size as the virus particles.

An N95 masks filters out particles larger than 0.6 micron with 95 percent efficiency, hence the 95.

For various reasons that I shall not go into, even though the pores in the mask material are slightly larger than the virus particle, the mask is still effective.

The idea of a mask is not just to protect you, the wearer, from infection, it is also about protecting others in case you yourself are infected. Be considerate.

Any protective gear that is used to protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection is only useful if you use it properly.

You must remember that any barrier that you put between yourself and the virus, itself becomes contaminated if you are in an environment where virus is present in high concentration.

In the meantime, the age-old refrain “discretion is the better part of valour” has never been more applicable and it will cost you nothing.

To any reader that doesn’t understand what we have tried to explain here, please feel free to contact us, and further explanation will be provided.

• The views expressed here are solely our own and do not express the views or opinions of any organisation with which we are associated.

EASTERN Bay people calling on the services of St John during the lockdown will notice some changes but can be assured the organisation continues to put the needs of its community first.

Territory manager Lance Laing said St John would continue to be there for the community in its time of need with all operational staff trained in infection control practices and protocols in place to limit the risk of infection.

St John frontline staff are following strict clinical guidelines and taking universal precautions. Our ambulance officers are routinely wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when attending patients.”

Mr Laing and his team encouraged the public to call 111 in an emergency, and those on the other end of the line would be there to assist.

It is encouraged, however, if a patient is in self isolation or has been exposed to a person who may have Covid-19, that St John are informed and can take the correct precautionary steps towards treatment.

“This will help our ambulance crews make the best decisions about infectious disease precautions,” Mr Laing said.

“We’ve also instructed our ambulance officers to pause two metres away from their patients before making a decision on what PPE they should wear. Where appropriate, our ambulance officers are also asking patients to wear PPE while travelling in an ambulance.”

Mr Laing said St John staff nationwide had placed strict limitations on people accompanying loved ones to the hospital, which was to help limit the spread of Covid-19.

“Ambulance officers across the country have been directed to only transport family members with patients in exceptional circumstances. This is to limit the spread of Covid-19 and to keep patient families and health workers safe.”

There are a few exceptions on compassionate grounds, for example when a patient is gravely ill or St John staff are transporting a child, however Mr Laing said only one family member would be permitted to accompany them.

“We understand that this initiative may be distressing for patients and families in an already stressful situation but appreciate the public’s help with keeping everyone safe.”

People in the Eastern Bay have been incredibly supportive of St John staff, and for this they are grateful.

“St John staff have been treated with kindness and understanding by those in the Eastern Bay of Plenty and we would like to thank the public for their ongoing support as we continue to be there for the region during this unprecedented time,” Mr Laing said.

hazel.osborne@thebeacon.co.nz

WHAKATANE tour guide Jake Milbank, who was critically injured in the Whakaari/White Island eruption, has been released early from hospital.

He said it was tough coming out of four months of virtual isolation in hospital back into self-isolation, but he was glad to be home.

“I was healing a lot faster I guess than they were expecting and then of course it was just a mad rush to get away from the hospital with all the virus stuff going around,” Jake said this week from his Whakatane home where he is isolation with his mother and sister.

Jake had been in Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital Intensive Care Unit and then the National Burns Unit, following the eruption on December 9. On Monday last week he was transferred to Waikato Hospital.

Jake’s father, Steve Milbank, said his son arrived home on Friday “a bit out of the blue”.

“We wanted him out of the hospital with the Coronavirus going off. I think they must have felt the same because I think the original plan was to send him to Waikato Hospital for four weeks, but he was only there less than a week and they sent him home on Friday,” Mr Milbank said.

“They are happy with that as long as he is all good and there are no issues, I mean with what is going on at the hospitals.”

“It’s pretty awesome, shame it is in the middle of a lockdown. It is hard going for him, but

I think he is just glad to be home. Mentally it is good for him.”

The 19-year-old said he was very happy to be home because with the restrictions around Covid-19 even his movement around the hospital had been limited.

“We were stuck up in the ward, we were not allowed to leave the ward and couldn’t even go outside and get some fresh air.”

He said his mum was helping him change his dressings and he was doing physiotherapy via Zoom with Whakatane physiotherapist Karen Hanlen.

“Mum [Janet Milbank] is doing all the dressing changes and moisturising that I need and then also I have a lot of pressure garments and things that I have to put on and she is having to do all of that stuff, so I am very lucky to have her doing all that.”

Jake received 80 percent burns to his body in the eruption and has undergone 25 trips to the operating room, he said on his Givealittle page.

“I am feeling good, it is good to be home and all my wounds are getting a lot smaller now and it is easier to jump in the shower when I want to.”

“My whole front and back was burned … the only bit that was really saved were my feet because of my boots and where my shorts were was kind of saved and that was about it.”

Jake’s hands were also badly injured. “I’m having to constantly stretch them out to stop them turning into claws.”

“I must say, my surgeons have done a remarkable job. I was told that when it came to possible infections, it wasn’t a matter of if, but rather when. I was fortunate enough to go this entire time without a single infection or setback, which is absolutely amazing,” he said on Givealittle on Friday.

“When I was first admitted to hospital my family were told that I could be in intensive care for at least three to four months, and that my stay in hospital could go on as long as six months or more.

“To be able to walk out of hospital in less than four months after sustaining 80 percent burns is almost unheard of, and I owe it all to my amazing team of doctors, nurses, physios and occupational therapists for getting me out in what must be almost record time. But most of all I owe it to my family, who have been with me every step of the way, assisting me with my cares and my every need.

Jake said he was keeping busy this week sorting out all his things. “I have got a lot of boxes and bags and things to unpack.”

He was also in contact with his friends online.

“A couple of them have shouted at me over the fence and said ‘hi’.”

Fellow Whakatane guide Kelsey Waghorn was discharged from hospital in March.

Jake’s discharge comes as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced this week that the last patients remaining in the National Burns Unit in Middlemore as a result of the eruption had been discharged.

Forty-seven people were on Whakaari when it erupted, killing 21 people including Whakatane tour guides Hayden Marshall-Inman and Tipene Maangi. While most of those who died were recovered, Mr Marshall-Inman and teenage Australian tourist Winona Langford were lost at sea.

After the eruption, 13 injured patients were later transferred to Australia and another six to their home countries.

Kelsey in self-isolation at home

FELLOW Whakatane tour guide Kelsey Waghorn is in self-isolation with her partner after 65 days in hospital and 14 trips to the operating theatre and said on Instagram at the start of the lockdown that she was “stressed and scared”.

Ms Waghorn, who received burns to 45 percent of her body, spent 49 days in Hutt Hospital, including 10 in ICU, where she was in an induced coma for five days. She also had 39 days in the burns/plastics ward, she said in the latest update on her Givealittle page.

She was then transferred to Waikato Hospital where she spent 16 days.

She said her stay there would have been a lot shorter had she not fallen over on her first weekend leave, which landed her back in Whakatane A&E.

“Not exactly the way I’d planned on going back to see and thank the team there. Needless to say, my doctor back in Waikato was more than apprehensive about letting me have the following weekend at home. But we convinced her I’d learnt my lesson, and I was granted the next two weekends home.”

In her latest post on Instagram on March 23 she said she was supposed to be undergoing physiotherapy, “but I’m also not supposed to be in contact with anyone so appointments are rapidly being canned, moved to FaceTime, and I’ll be relying on Doctor Tom (not a registered doctor) to be all of the therapists and specialists”.

“I don’t know when I get to see my family next, because I don’t live with them, and because I’m immuno-compromised, the risk of a hug, a kiss or even just seeing each other could cause problems if one of us has contracted Covid-19 ….

“I was discharged on February 13th with the idea that I wouldn’t have any unplanned visits from medics until my two-week check-up back in Waikato,” she said on Givealittle.

“True to form, my body had other ideas. Before my first dressing change at home on the Monday following my release, I passed out in the shower. Twice.

“In doing so, I skinned my shin and traumatised my family for life (again). Cue the ambulance, IV line and a whole lot of blood pressure checks. Thankfully, other than a collapsed jugular vein and some oozy fingers, I haven’t had any other surprises.”
Ms Waghorn said on Givealittle she was happy to be home.

kathy.forsyth@thebeacon.co.nz

WHAKATANE police are continuing to prioritise education and reasoning following the tightening of lockdown guidelines.

The Director General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, has provided guidance to the New Zealand Police, who issued the new guidelines on Saturday night.

These include restrictions on many activities that people in the Eastern Bay would normally participate in on a daily basis, including no swimming, surfing, hunting, boating or hiking.

Whakatane Senior Sergeant Al Fenwick has dispelled social media rumours that police have been issuing fines to recreational fishers caught flouting the rules.

Even if police had the power to impose such a penalty, education and reasoning would still take priority.

“We do not have the ability to give instant fines,” he said.

“There are significantly stronger guidelines set in place and it’s up to the public now to reduce any prospect of breaking their bubble.

“This includes frontline and emergency services needing to help people who have breached those guidelines.”

Mr Fenwick believes there may be a growing animosity in the community towards those who are breaking the rules but encourages people to remember to stay kind.

“Don’t be that person to let everybody down. This is affecting people’s lives and livelihoods and the longer we stay in lockdown, the more people’s lives will be impacted,” Mr Fenwick said.

These guidelines are set out as:

• Everyone in New Zealand is to be isolated or quarantined at their current place of residence except as permitted for essential personal movement.
• Exercise is to be done in an outdoor place that can be readily accessed from home and two-metre physical distancing must be maintained.
• Recreation and exercise does not involve swimming, water-based activities (for example, surfing or boating), hunting, tramping, or other activities of a kind that expose participants to danger or may require search and rescue services.
• A child can leave the residence of one joint caregiver to visit or stay at the residence of another joint caregiver (and visit or stay at that residence) if there is a shared bubble arrangement.
• A person can leave their residence to visit or stay at another residence (and visit or stay at that residence) under a shared bubble arrangement if:
• One person lives alone in one, or both, of those residences; or
• Everyone in one of those residences is a vulnerable person.

Dr Bloomfield said the tightening of restrictions would serve as a pathway toward coming out of lockdown as soon as possible, and by clarifying the rules, this reinforced the police’s ability to enforce them.

The announcement also gave clarity around “bubble” guidelines.

“Specifically, if you live alone and have already established a bubble with another household this can be maintained so long as both households have no contact with others – that they stay in their joint bubble,” Dr Bloomfield said.

“No one likes a rule breaker, especially when breaking the rules puts other New Zealanders’ lives at risk.

“We need to be extra vigilant to move out of Alert Level 4 as soon as possible, and police have all the powers they need to make sure people not following the rules are dealt with,” Dr Bloomfield added.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the police’s primary focus in this time was to ensure people understood the importance of staying home.

“The vast majority of New Zealanders have a high level of awareness of what they can and can’t do under the Alert Level 4 restrictions, and by and large people are doing a tremendous job,” he said.

“We want people to stay safe, but if a small number of people persist in deliberately flouting the restrictions, police will have the discretion to warn or, if necessary, to arrest.

“The health notice makes it clear what types of outdoor exercise and recreation people shouldn’t do.

“Outside of that, we are asking people to stay local, apply common sense and not do anything that could risk exposure to injury or require search and rescue services.

“The public should not notice any significant change to policing as we continue to prioritise high visibility reassurance to the community, and a continued focus on day-to-day Police work.

“I have recently set a clear expectation of our staff on how we police in the current environment.

“We have today updated our operational guidelines to staff, to help them police with confidence and certainty,” Mr Coster said.

hazel.osborne@thebeacon.co.nz

ON Saturday, a line in the sand was drawn by the Government reinforcing that no swimming or surfing, among other recreational activities, is allowed during the lockdown.

This new announcement and the clarification of do’s and don’ts has sparked upset in the Eastern Bay’s beach communities.

An Ohope resident, who did not want to be named, said swimming was no more dangerous than riding a bike, going to the supermarket or doing DIY projects at home.

“I understand the big picture, but I don’t understand why we can’t swim.

“There’s a lot of mixed messaging going on; it seems like everybody we talk to has a different understanding.

“Why can’t we do it? it’s literally our front yard. Going to the supermarket where there could be hundreds of people or the Four Square where there’s multiple people is more of a risk than going for a swim,” she said.

Director of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said these decisions had been made to ensure the safety of every person.

“Exercise is to be done in an outdoor place that can be readily accessed from home and two-metre physical distancing must be maintained.

“Recreation and exercise does not involve swimming, water-based activities (for example, surfing or boating), hunting, tramping, or other activities of a kind that expose participants to danger or may require search and rescue services,” the new clarified guidelines state.

The residents said although their family were complying with the new guidelines, and understood the justification for restricting such activities, it might take a toll on them mentally.

“A good friend of mine asked if we were going swimming and I said ‘no’. She replied with a sad face. Going swimming is part of her daily ritual and helps with her mental health.

“We’re having to not do things that we do normally, there would be more accidents at a swimming pool in someone’s backyard than there would be at the beach.

“It’s just ridiculous because we aren’t even allowed to go out into our own front yard … It’s just really silly,” they said.

Oliver Dobbin, owner of Salt Spray Surf School, told the Beacon he understood why residents so close to the water were feeling hurt or confused at this time, but the Government’s decision was a responsible one.

“Ohope is a real beach community, so for them it must feel different or unfair.

“I’ve been down about not being able to go for a surf, but I’ve been talking with other surfers in the community and they’re starting to take it seriously. I think the consensus is that it’s a good call,” Mr Dobbin said.

For many Eastern Bay people, going for swims or surfing is a way of life, and Mr Dobbin said it would take a toll.

“Surfing for us is everything, it’s our calming place and there’s something about surfing that’s addictive.

“It must be hard for the people living on the beach, they’re used to just looking out at the waves and heading down for a surf, it’s just their thing, and it’s addictive, your life revolves around it.

“A lot of surfers see it as a mental health escape and that’s important,” Mr Dobbin said.

However, at the end of the day, those upset by the restrictions still understand it comes down to safety.

“We understand that the reason they made the call was if something did go wrong, search and rescue would need to be called and that involvement doesn’t make sense,” Mr Dobbin said.

Senior Sergeant Al Fenwick said these guidelines had been put in place to ensure people remained in their bubble, reducing any prospect of bursting it.

hazel.osborne@thebeacon.co.nz

A group of Norwegian students have finally made it on to a plane back home.

The four are among several international students who have been studying at Whakatane High School but, since the lockdown, in New Zealand and overseas, have been trying to get flights back to their homelands.

One German student managed to get on to one of the first repatriation flights on March 28, while others remained on a waiting list.  The German Government is offering mercy flights to German nationals who are stranded abroad, while seats are being offered to other European Union citizens if available.

Whakatane High School director of international students Sue Whale said the final four Norwegians and one German left on the Air NZ repatriation flight NZ1960 from Auckland via Vancouver to Frankfurt on Sunday.

“I still have six Germans wanting to leave.  However, there are still further flights and we are confident that they will be on one of them,” she said.

The students applied online individually for the repatriation flights via the German embassy.

“Because of the temporary stop to the flights, it has been a long wait for some. They have to check their emails every two hours while they are awake, because sometimes a place becomes available and you have to respond very quickly to get a seat,” said Ms Whale.

“They also say that if you do not respond in time you will not get another chance.  So, their parents take over the watch when they are awake on the other side of the earth.”

One of the Norwegian students on the flight this week, Mathilde Dano, told the Beacon previously they loved it in Whakatane, but their parents were anxious with what was going on globally and wanted them home.

She arrived in Oslo on Tuesday, having travelled via German and Denmark to get to Norway.

“There were a lot of military and police at the airports that were yelling at everyone, but no people, even at Frankfurt Airport,” she said.

“We felt like we were flying on private jets because everyone got two rows each from Germany to Denmark and Denmark to Norway.”

Meanwhile, 20 international students are staying in Whakatane.

“Their parents are happy for them to be here, as many think it is safer here in New Zealand than in their home country.  Also, our house and garden or farm lifestyle beats apartment living during lockdown.”

Ms Whale said the host parents in Whakatane were all very positive and in good heart.

“They are doing a wonderful range of activities with the students and keep them entertained. There is a lot of cooking and baking going on, huge puzzles are completed, snooker competitions are on, students help with gardening. Two boys helped build a raised vegetable bed; some do online schoolwork, and all of the kids enjoy socialising virtually on ‘house party’.  Of course, it helps to be able to go for a walk or bike ride.”

Ms Whale said they held a Zoom meeting with the host parents last week and told them about the Ministry of Education and SIEBA support provisions.

“We cannot move students during lockdown. Our guidance counsellors can provide emotional support. If there should be a need to move kids, we will have to alert our principal, and he has to alert one of the organisations, such as police, Te Oranga Tamariki or Healthline. That is only in extreme cases, which we do not expect to occur. However, it is reassuring that there is a plan.”

THE number of cases of Covid-19 in the Bay of Plenty has risen by two and is now 38, while there is still only one case in the Eastern Bay.

The latest updates from the Prime Minister and Director-General of Health show that there are 26 new confirmed and 24 probable cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, the lowest number of cases in two weeks, bringing the total to 1210.

There are 37 cases in the Western Bay, eight in Rotorua and four in Taupo.

A total of 282 cases have recovered, while 12 people are in hospital, including four people in ICU. Two of these cases are in a critical condition. There are no cases in the hospital in the Bay of Plenty.

A total of 4098 tests were processed on Tuesday, bringing the total number of tests to 46,875.

For more information visit www.covid19.govt.nz

Eastern Bay schools are checking whether families have Wi-Fi access and if their children have access to the Internet – ahead of the start of term two next week.

Schools will re-open on Wednesday when they will resume distance learning with students – but there is a rush to ensure all students have access to online study or hard copies of the work they need to do.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said yesterday dedicated TV channels would be among the package to provide lessons for schoolchildren.

Tens of thousands of school students had issues with connectivity and distance learning, she said, and she asked parents not to put too much pressure on themselves.

Schools are this week sending out surveys to families to find out whether students have online access to their learning, in response to a request from the Ministry of Education, which has said it would support students who didn’t.

Ezra Schuster, director of education for the Bay of Plenty-Waiariki for the Ministry of Education, told principals the survey was needed to identify the most vulnerable students, especially those in secondary school doing NCEA, who might need additional help and support from the ministry.

She said the ministry was working with the telco industry to extend household connectivity. “We will work directly with them to extend connectivity to households.

“The second is to provide devices to those students who need them so they can engage in your learning programmes.  Identifying these students will help us start the delivery as soon as possible.

“We are also providing hard packs so that students that can’t get online and/or where a school or kura has been unable to do this, don’t miss out.”

Trident High School acting principal Adrienne Scott-Jones said the school had a limited time to organise devices for students before it closed early for the holidays.

“But [we] managed to ensure that all our student from year 13 down to year 11 who needed a device were able to borrow one from school. The day after school closed, we managed to get more devices out to junior students whose whanau came to the school and collected Chrome Books,” she said.

“The ministry recognises that some homes will not have adequate access to the internet and some homes will better be served with hard copy paper resources. Through gathering data from Trident they hope to get these packs to the students who need them.”

Ms Scott-Jones said Trident had already been fielding calls and emails from whanau who were struggling to access Google classrooms because although they had a device their internet access was inadequate.

“We are also aware that for some parents it is an entirely new experience and they are struggling to oversee and support distance learning.”

The school’s management team was meeting yesterday to finalise a strategic pastoral plan to assist parents during this complex time.

Whakatane High School principal Martyn Knapton said his school had also done a lot of work around planning before the shutdown and this included identifying students without devices and the internet.

“But we were really hamstrung about what we could do about students without the internet ; we supported parents by giving them devices to use over the course of the Covid-19 lockdown and that meant we gave over a hundred devices to students and that has been really good because it has made sure those students can access the learning.

“But one of the issues for us is an inequity issue … there are members of our community who haven’t got devices and haven’t got Wi-fi and if we do distance learning that is not fair.”

Mr Knapton said the school was working with the ministry to address this.

“We know who the students are, and we have given them the details of those students and the ministry, in my understanding, is looking at providing them with a device and providing them with Wi-fi.”

In Kawerau, an estimated 40 percent of families were either without an internet connection or a device.

“It is definitely the case at my school, but it is also probably Kawerau wide,” said Kawerau Putauaki School Rachel Chater.

She said Murupara and Kawerau had the capacity to access Wi-Fi via the Te Aka Toitu Trust, which had previously been set up to connect households to the Internet.

The challenge now was getting students connected during the lockdown.

Ms Chater said fortunately, her school had already put together hard copy packs for students with about four weeks work prior to the country going to alert level 4.

“Most schools have done that as well.”

She said the local Ministry of Education office had been excellent in their communication and effort to address the internet/device issue.

“They are also aware that our region, the Eastern Bay, has got the least connectivity and so looking at how we can support families and learners.”

POLICE will be out in force over the Easter weekend and are warning potential rule flouters to stay home or face the consequences.

Senior Sergeant Mark van der Kley said police would be stationing three checkpoints in main arterial sections of the Eastern Bay on Good Friday and would be telling anyone non-essential to return home.

“Particularly on Friday, the only people on the road should be essential workers and if you are not essential, we’ll be turning you around.”

Mr van der Kley said police would also be looking out for long-weekend holidaymakers.

“If we find bach owners are coming here for a holiday, we don’t care how far you’ve driven; you will be turned around,” he said.

“Why would we want to allow people into our town who may bring the virus with them. We need to look after our own patch. Missing out on your Easter weekend away at the bach is a small sacrifice, and holidaymakers will stand out.”

There have so far been no arrests of rule flouters or anyone showing reckless disregard for the lockdown regulations, however, Mr van der Kley said if people pushed the boundaries that number might change.

“There have been no arrests so far, but we have been taking note of people who are repeatedly driving around and will know if an individual is repeatedly dismissing lockdown guidelines,” he said.

The maximum penalty for breaching the Public Health Act is six months in prison or a $4000 fine, and Mr van der Kley said if people continued to breach these guidelines, rule breakers might face charges.

“It’s all about people staying home and doing the right thing, there is no excuse, stay home.”

WHAKATANE’S L’epicierie Café is taking online orders and delivering bread, flour, coffee beans and pastries from today (FRIDAY).

The bakery and café has been deemed an essential service by the Ministry of Primary Industries and given the green light to partly resume its operations and start a contact-free delivery service.

Owner Chloe Lagneaux said they were permitted to deliver only basic food, and this would include coffee beans, a range of croissants, sourdough bread and flour.

The store also has a few other items, such as butter and yeast, for sale.

She said deliveries had been made possible since the Government announced this week that butchers, bakers and greengrocers were permitted to sell online with contact-free delivery.

“It is not legal to sell coffee or any kind of takeaway products so we are sticking to the legislation and the Government advice about what we can and cannot sell, that is why we are sticking to the basics.

“I know there are shortages of flour, so we have been trying to find different ways of helping the community …

“We do have some flour in stock that we are going to use to make our bread, but we are also selling some flour because we know there is a shortage in supermarkets, so we want to give people the opportunity of buying flour.

“We are doing some of the croissants as well because other bakeries are doing it as well across the country.”

Ms Lagneaux said it was safety first for their team and the community.

“We are taking every precaution we can take to keep our team and our customers safe, knowing that our staff have been in strict lockdown; so no going to the beach or going anywhere else because we wanted to make sure everyone is safe.”

L’epicierie, which has two cafes in town, will be operating from the Larder in Commerce Street where it has its production kitchen.

“The doors remain closed and even if the law allowed us to open the doors, we don’t think we would have done it because it is risky for people, so it is online only.”

Ms Lagneaux said they had begun taking orders yesterday for the first time.

“We launched our website this morning and it has been quite busy … so we are busy making the bread and we will receive orders until 8pm and then the guys will produce the bread overnight and deliveries first thing in the morning.”

HAVE you ever seen a T-Rex and a unicorn hold hands and skip down the road together?

Well Ohope residents did on Tuesday evening.

After coming across the hilarious costumes that had been gathering dust in a cupboard since her son’s birthday, Ohope local Amber Langworthy decided to bring some joy to the neighbourhood.

Ms Langworthy and her partner, Shane O’Neil, wasted no time in strutting their stuff down Harbour Road, and when people came out on their decks to have a laugh and take some pictures, she knew she was onto something.

“We were just cleaning out the closets and we thought it would be amazing for the kids.

“We walked down to the beach wearing the costumes to take funny pictures and so many people came out onto their decks and front yards, waving and taking pictures.”

Heading out for an impromptu costume parade, Ms Langworthy and Mr O’Neil found that more and more people in the community were getting joy out of what they were doing.

“The first night we did it, it was really impromptu, and we took a detour for one special little girl, so when we heard people were upset that we didn’t come by other people’s houses we knew we had to do it again.

“The second time we tried it, we had a costume malfunction and we knew we’d do it again because we couldn’t let the kids down,” Ms Langworthy said.

During times like these, laughter and joy can be hard to come by, and so when it appears down the street in a T-Rex and unicorn costume, all you can do is laugh.

“I just live for stuff like this,” she said. “I was going through a really rough time in my life last year and what I learnt was, the only thing that can heal your heart is to be kind to others.

“Doing the parade is no sweat off our backs, we just want to help fill people’s hearts with joy and the more joy you spread, the more you get back, I think.”

Ms Langworthy moved to Whakatane 13 years ago, has lived in Ohope for two and said she had never met a person who wasn’t community spirited.

“I don’t think I’ve met a family or person that wasn’t wonderful, and it’s nice to give back to the community.

“Being American, I like to do it big, and there have been so many wonderful comments supporting us and thanking us for doing it.

“Those people were not only thanking but sharing the post around so that more people could join in.”

Many children and their parents safely joined in, wearing their own fun dress-ups, and, as

Ms Langworthy said, “everything is funny when you’re dressed like a unicorn”.

From showing off their best ballerina moves, to pretending to rifle through the bins, these costumes have brought many smiles and laughs during a trying time.

The couple will be heading down Harbour Road on Friday for one final parade, starting from Tawai Street at 4pm.