New Zealand has been one of the few true success stories of all this #coronacrapola. They were the first to announce the virus had been eliminated in their country and are taking their time in allowing residents more freedoms, as it’s keeping the country as virus-free as possible.
New Zealand currently bans foreigners from entering the country, with no time frame of when they will open their borders again. However they did allow one traveler entry, due to his very special circumstances.
Bill Norrie is a retiree from Canada. He’s spent the past 9 months at sea, with a plan to sail around the world on his 28-foot Bristol Channel Cutter, named Pixie. The last time he stepped foot on land was 3 months ago, when he left South Africa.
The only reason he even knew about the pandemic was when he would be in touch with his wife, still in Canada, via spotty satellite connection (he lost most of his main electronics due to a huge wave in April).
“My wife said, ‘The jargon is rounding of the curve,’ so now we’re six feet away [due to social distancing],” he told New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ. “So it’s still sorta strange to me.”
When he arrived in Christchurch, officials originally wouldn’t let him leave his ship.
“…they said, ‘You can’t come here,’ so I was like, ‘Where am I gonna go, right?’ I was the most isolated person on the planet, they didn’t want to let me in. It was too funny!”
They quickly decided to let him in after all, without quarantining for 14 days.
“He’s been at sea for three months, by himself, socially distancing, washing his hands, doing all the right things,” said regional harbormaster Jim Dilley.
Norrie’s plan while in New Zealand is to gather supplies so he can sail 3 more months and get back home. You can follow his journey here.
#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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