Life after lockdown

We have been out of confinement for almost  three months now. In July we got back into the rhythmn, with a steady flow of local tourists, an astonishing number in fact, everyone in Tahiti was itching to get out, but not able or willing to go outside French Polynesia. 

 

And even in June we were busy enough with various other projects: an official government visit (just days after lockdown was lifted and inter-island flights opened, the entire government flew to Rurutu for the day and gave us all big hugs and kisses, Polynesian habits die hard!), we've also been getting to grips with our sawmill, hosting a poi-making competition to help compensate for the lack of a heiva, horse-racing (Rea won again easily!) and I've even been enlisted as a local correspondant for a newspaper in Tahiti, hilariously enough writting in French! My editor has his work cut out for him.

Lockdown is a hazy memory, however, with international flights open since July 15, Tahiti has been receiving both European and American tourists, quarantine has been cancelled and the arriving tourists are required to test negative 3 days before leaving and to use a self-test kit 4 days into  their stay (though the incubation period is in fact 14 days)! Surprise, surprise there is a new outbreak of Covid on Tahiti and it's highly likely it has already reached many of the other islands, there's a potential outbreak in the Marquesas. The threat of Covid is once again quite real here, though it is worth pointing out that we are lucky enough not to have had any deaths yet. In response to the new outbreak (already at least 130 cases, including an American tourist on the Gauguin cruiseship that was supposedly a "locals only" cruise) masks have been made obligatory in all public areas, including stores, schools, hotels, guesthouses and church, and school transport! This morning certain schools in Tahiti have been closed, after students were tested positive over the weekend.

 

The biggest clusters were due to a big party at a restaurant in Tahiti in late July, where no social distancing measures were in place, attended by an infected primary school-teacher just arrived from France. This resulted in both policemen and hospital personnel getting infected, causing a couple more clusters. Working with tourists we are more exposed than many, so we're going to have to just get used to wearing masks and socially distancing ! 

All this drama has made Heimana's high-school debut pale into insignificance, though Matotea still can't quite believe she's going to have to share the space with her sister. It's going to be a rough year for us all! Amai, however, seems quite pleased to be going to primary school all on his own now...