Routine sets in and obscures the passing of time. But the sky is blue and Kahu has arrived home. I wake to a message, 'Boarding to LA.' Emotional for me. I haven't been worried but I have. Watching TV and seeing the numbers of dead in places where the virus has taken hold, hasn't helped. There's a picture from Tom, Kahu's host dad, of a plane leaving Little Rock. At the end, a smiley face and a sad face. Emotional for everyone. Kahu is home too soon but he's safer here and will be able to get on with life sooner. America's Covid death toll has passed the total killed in the Twin Towers attack. And the alarming rate of African American and Latino deaths starkly reveals health disparities in the US.
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| AFS family on Kahu's 18th birthday: Tammy, Tom, Yusei, Kahu |
The wisdom of the decision to act quickly rings true in the 1pm official update. Jacinda's voice is buoyant. Our number of new cases drops for the fourth day in a row to 29 cases, 23 confirmed and 6 probable. This is against the highest number of tests processed in a single day. It's a relief and what we need to hear. I spend the afternoon in the garden. My neighbour comments how everyday is the same. True. I realise the book group Zoom meet I was preparing for happened last night. Most days I'm not entirely sure what day it is, but I do know how many in lock down. For Kahu it's day 1 in quarantine. The govt starts quarantine for all returning NZ citizens tonight, but Mark and I made the decision that Kahu should quarantine till he knows whether he is virus free. He's passed through three airports and been on a long haul flight. He's already been home from school since mid March and will be on his own in the hotel. It's a big ask.
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