I am incredibly impressed by Kiwis.
I didn’t get to catch all the details of tonight’s news in New Zealand but here is a quick snapshot of the types of measures being implemented here. Their government has announced a financial stimulus package that’s going directly to cover people’s wages affected by COVID19. Folks in self-isolation will get weekly monetary support as long as they have to be isolated and there is even help for paying for utilities if necessary. And it goes without saying, all this is on top of having a solid public healthcare system that Americans can only dream of at this point.
This was all clearly laid out in the evening news only 6 days after the first preventive measures were announced. And there are still only 12 confirmed cases in New Zealand at this point.
In stark contrast to these actions, Trump administration first called this global crisis a “Dem’s political hoax” and then concentrated more on PR than on using the precious time to prep the country for what was to come.
The US has been up in arms for months now at the mere mention of $100 billion student loan bailout but in a blink of an eye, the government provided $500 billion to banks and corporations that will probably not be much help to an average American.
Everything seems hopelessly backwards in the US right now. Gun sales are up and too many folks are unfortunately showing their true colors – hoarding food/supplies, profiteering, worrying more about the stock market than about people, not following strict social distancing instructions, etc.
I keep reminding myself that most people in this world are good people. It’s just that not all governments are acting in the best interest of its citizens. Our presidential elections are even more important right now.
It’s heartbreaking to see some sane world leaders address their nations with rational (and truthful) information. It’s frightening to see who is leading the US in these volatile times. We gotta do better than this.
Our lives literally depend on it.
We are staying in New Zealand for now, probably the best place we could be at this point. Our travel insurance runs out on April 26th but hopefully, we won’t need it for coronavirus related treatments.
For now, we are trying to stay present and concentrate mostly on day-to-day activities.
Refresh Journey 