How great it is to see still more ‘New Zealand citizens’ dribbling across the border as their COVID-ravaged adopted-homelands suddenly lose appeal.

Interestingly, all genuine Kiwis, those people currently living in New Zealand who would never consider jeopardising the wellbeing of their countrymen by bringing unto these shores traces of a deadly and incurable epidemic, are now being implored to stock up on face masks, just in case we are hit with another outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus…?

Surely though, months since the last known community transmission of COVID-19, this virus can be considered dead throughout New Zealand’s airways…?

Oh, that’s right, I see; despite basically the entire world having been ordered to remain in one place to avoid further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, we still have hordes of unfathomable shitheads bringing into the country their potentially diseased lungs.

Indeed, given also that selected unfathomable shitheads might attempt to abscond from their impending quarantine thereby potentially sharing their potentially contaminated selves with the national populous, or the potential of transmission to quarantine workers and potentially their families, I do understand the reaction by New Zealand health officials; what I do not comprehend is the potentially deadly actions of returning citizens.

Amid global crisis, often personal sacrifices will need to be made. This pandemic did not take hold of the world suddenly, our respective Governments gave us plenty of warning to get home if needed. Of course, this posed many problems for potential returnees – months ago, I was one who struggled – yet with assistance from New Zealand’s embassies, months after the official call has been made to get home, there is no excuse for just now deciding to come home.

Your choice to only come home now, months after the warning was delivered, is shitheaded and potentially life-threatening.

Article by Tim Walker

Edited by Shel Fitch

Photography by Ian Fathom Able