More headwinds to face before return to ‘normal’YOURWORD

• Published date: 10 February 2022
• Publication title: Mountain Scene

However, we do need to improve planning and better manage our financial, mental health and physical health

We need to co-exist with COVID, or risk being an outlier to the rest of the world.

Pandemics aren’t new — the most famous being the Bubonic Plague (1346-1353) — but, over the past century, there have been many pandemics of varying degrees of contagiousness and lethality.

Interestingly, research into the psychology of past pandemics has shown the same human responses have repeated.

During the Spanish flu, for example, merchants suffered hardship because of staff absenteeism and shoppers were either too ill or too frightened to venture out to the stores, while panic buying and anti-vaccination sentiment were also features of past pandemics.

The personal financial impact of a pandemic can be as severe and stressful as the infection itself.

Covid’s tested everyone’s resolve and brought out the best, and worst, in people.

While the stoicism of many has been impressive, there are exhausted frontline care workers, and hardworking families and wage earners who have had to take pay cuts to remain employed.

Renters are now experiencing rent increases, while property values have inflated beyond the reach of many disheartened, prospective purchasers.

Business owners have been forced to sell assets or increase debt to fund losses, keep staff employed and businesses alive.

Landlords who have reduced rents to support tenants, and many others separated from loved ones by closed borders.

Two years in, COVID fatigue is real and starting to show.

The growing inequality gap is a real social concern, leading to a divided society and increased domestic violence.

Last week’s announcement of borders opening is welcomed and provides hope to many.

But new research shows EU travel restrictions had little impact on Omicron spread — and airlines will not commit to New Zealand should we delay opening to ‘‘hassle-free’’ travel.

The loss of capacity could take years to rebuild, and NZ is dropping off the sell list of offshore travel sellers.

Unfortunately, for tourism-centric areas, the move to the Red traffic light setting and the self-isolation requirement while away from home will discourage domestic travel.

The requirement for international visitors to self-isolate on arrival is another major negative, which must be relaxed if tourism is to survive.

It was an important contributor to the NZ economy, pre-COVID, totalling 20% of exports, contributing $41 billion annually, or $115...