Foreign Correspondence

[mare]

Most of our broadcast news in relation to Covid-19 particularly is NZ related understandably. TVNZ has foreign correspondents based to cover their broader areas and much of what we get I heard first on RC threads in this section when I'm attempting keeping up  ... and also from some friends living outside NZ.
Our Europe Correspondent is based in London, we also have one in New York and one in Sydney, so hearing bulletins from them and also reading some news on line,  news of those affected hugely is coming through but many countries very little, have seen some graphs.
Good to get the updating feed from other rootschatters, a lot from the UK naturally and from parts of Australia, also snippets from Canada and the USA and Erato's reports from Ecuador to keep relatively informed of situation and measures in place.

NZ is SHUT, quite strict enforcement with being now on day 4 of lockdown.

1st confirmed case death this morning sadly,  woman early 70's with significant health issues, first thought to have had influenza before diagnosis and reported as stable in hospital since last week and then onto ventilator. I imagine the whole country was hoping as I was that all the hospital patients so far would pull through and at this stage others are stable or discharged.

We get a daily update at 1 pm, with number of confirmed and probable cases plus those in hospital and those recovered, done 24 hourly at 9 am. 

Summary
As at 9.00 am, 29 March 2020               Total to date      New in last 24 hours
Number of confirmed cases in New Zealand    476                            60
Number of probable cases                              38                              3
Number of confirmed and probable cases    514                            63
Number of cases in hospital                        9 (28 total to date)    -
Number of recovered cases                      56                              6
Number of deaths                                        1

Take care out there ... mare

[mckha489]

Hi Mare,

I live in Matamata where today a cluster has been announced,  makes it seem a bit closer!

Anyway news,  this site gives links to many online newspapers. The Guardian is running a good blog.  Also El Pais (the English version) we have been reading because our son is holed up in an apartment by himself in Madrid.  It gives a European perspective which is quite informative.

https://www.thebigproject.co.uk/news/#.XoAlhMrRWhA

[mare]

Thanks for that, a real worry for any family with members trying to stay safe elsewhere. We're a 'bubble' of two in South Auckland with most of our family in Auckland and Northland.

I hadn't heard of the cluster in Matamata even though we have a few friends there but haven't checked social media much this afternoon
One couple of friends there just got in before Friday midnight extension for locals to be home, awaiting ferry crossing in their campervan Friday morning, they were stopped in Taupo for questioning before finally getting home 9 pm.

Stay safe ...

[kiwihalfpint]

Thanks for that Mckha, I hadn't heard either, have family in Matamata, nothing had been posted on their FB page.  Scary, it is, and hope it doesn't decide to hike up my way and Mare's.

Stay save.
KHP

[mare]

That link is really helpful, thanks again Mckha ... and 10 mins ago one friend in Matamata shared a post of Know Your Pharmacist NZ of 7 hours back re the Alert of 13 cases, no mention of it on evening news.

added ... and already updated to 19 


   "     ... which is possibly incorrect  as his post now removed/unavailable, will leave it to media announcement, NZ Herald article on line mentions 15, which of course whatever number is still a huge concern for those in contact.   

[kiwihalfpint]

Just been announced on the lunch time news .... stay safe Mckha.


Cheers
KHP

[Erato]

Ecuador:  Just short of 2000 cases and 58 deaths here, most of them in Guayas Province [Guayaquil] on the coast; about 175 cases in Pichincha Province [Quito].  Very stringent lockdown orders which are respected in my neighborhood but, from what I see on TV, openly flaunted in some places.

ps - Rodolfo did deliver a nice bunch of bananas but they're still a little green so he'll have to wait for his banana bread, after which he will get a request to deliver more flour.  Other than that and the dog food, I'm pretty well fixed.  I haven't gone any further than the front gate in over a week and didn't even go that far today.

[mare]

Thanks for latest update Erato
                            ... and the relief that I can cross bananas off any list of concern for the minute 

In the main, NZer's seem to be adhering to the enforced tighter restrictions but as everywhere, some think they are a law unto themselves when it comes to interpretations and what they can and can't do. From the 1 pm report, which included the Police Commissioner today alongside the Director General of Health, their site set up for reporting non-compliant members of public and some business was over 4000 in the short time it was up had crashed but now back up, 3 arrests for consistent public breaches and many others spoken to not keeping social distancing and no doubt will be many more. Those determined to do the right thing eager to dob in those being seen to be without a care presumably.

Yes, HP, I caught the midday news report too, a popular tourist spot now with Hobbiton tours etc but so far they're doing a great job with tracing from individual cases and the few outbreaks. There were several BBC correspondent stories in that bulletin today from Europe. So lovely to have the contrast one towards the end of the two celebrating their 112 th birthdays, a man and a woman in UK and locations not that far apart, living through some very big events since 1908!
 
 I'm trying to keep informed without overloading on the news, good though to have the perspective and follow to a degree, what is rapidly escalating in various places and their procedures for dealing with it. Certainly helps for us to properly realise the implications of not isolating ourselves or closing borders, and to accept that we're doing the right thing imposing such strict guidelines in our little cocoon in the far corner!

Added ... Most impressed with our General Director of Health, his workload has been huge this year and realise he's on a more than OK income but he's worth every penny and more than his weight in gold. The clear concise delivery day by day and his 'passion for prevention' in a such calm manner.

[Erato]

I never heard of Matamata, NZ.  This is matamata to me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdki3QQy0aI