A month on from the unprecedented decision to put New Zealand into a Level 4 lockdown to combat the spread of Covid-19, front-line doctors, nurses and health emergency response staff look back at that first week in lockdown — it was one they will never forget.
For Dr Anna Meuli the Prime Minister's address to the nation was a pivotal moment.
“I found it very emotional,” says the tall, green-eyed doctor who is this district's GP Liaison. Also a hospice doctor and previously a GP with Three Rivers Medical, Dr Meuli says there was an electric tension in the emergency operations centre at Hauora Tairāwhiti where she and 12 others watched Ms Ardern's plans for lockdown.
“We'd all been seeing what was happening around the world, we knew the risks, that's why we were preparing, and now . . . well . . . here it was.”
Just days before, Dr Meuli and a team of Three Rivers Medical and Hauora Tairāwhiti clinicians created a swabbing facility at Three Rivers Medical. Then, three days later, taking their direction from the Ministry of Health, they built a respiratory illness assessment centre at the War Memorial Theatre. The Covid-testing site was nothing short of extraordinary, and epitomised community and business co-operation at a time of urgent need.
“We had wondered if the Lawson Field Theatre might work but then we came down here with Gisborne District Council staff and we could see that this theatre would work.”
On the theatre's stage behind the gold house-curtain, six consultation pods were built from medical grade temporary walls and topped with plastic ceilings. The pods gave doctors and nurses private spaces for assessing patients and where necessary, testing them for Covid-19. Working amidst curtain pulleys and theatrical rigging, health staff said it felt like working on a film set.
Dr Meuli says by Friday March 27, the second full day of lockdown, the centre was up and running.
“We knew we had to get it right — for our community, our friends, our families and our colleagues.”
In the emergency operations centre with Dr Meuli the day of the Prime Minister's announcement was the district's incident controller across all of health that week, Nicki Dever.
Nicki works at Hauora Tairawhiti and had taken over the role from fellow clinical care manager Lynsey Bartlett.
In April she would pass the baton to former Civil Defence Emergency manager Louise Bennett.
“It was an emotional moment. I think we all thought ‘what does it mean for our community, all our health staff and for ourselves?' ”
After Ms Ardern's address to the nation you could have heard a pin drop. Nicki was quick to speak. She took immediate control communicating priorities including the urgent need to finish reconfiguring Gisborne Hospital so it was ready to receive people with Covid-19.
With blonde hair tucked behind her ears, Nicki was a no-nonsense operator that day, and on all the days she led the team.
She is trained in the New Zealand-wide co-ordinated emergency-management system known as CIMS and was no stranger to emergency situations.
With the hindsight of a week, she says it was professionally challenging for everyone involved and there will be a lot of learnings.
“My job was to maintain overall co-ordination of the health response and all the activities and personnel involved. We were striving to make it work for everyone.”
“The rapid response across all of health was remarkable.”
The Prime Minister's announcement went completely unnoticed by associate director of nursing Roger Huntington. Quietly spoken and with 20 years of practice under his belt, he was already absorbed with creating a hospital ward to treat people with Covid-19.
“It was all on,” says the Australian-trained Ngāti Porou nurse.
“I have great managers around me and they were really receptive to what was going on. They understood the need to get it done safely and quickly.”
Normally, Roger manages the needs and requirements of the hospital's 200 nurses — so turning a 24-bed medical ward into a six-bed (or more if necessary) Covid-19 ward was a unique challenge.
“Our clinical staff devised safe ways in which we could move and care for people with Covid-19 within the hospital and that included the reconfiguration of Ward 5. It meant those with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 could be kept physically separate from other patients.”
Roger played commander while his management team organised equipment relocation and staffing changes. Significantly, he also oversaw the delicate process of moving existing patients out of Ward 5 so it could be rebuilt as the Covid ward. Eight patients were assessed and then moved to different areas of the hospital. One was able to be discharged.
Roger was proud of the staff who guided those patients and their families through that challenging transfer.
“I've never had to do a reconfiguration before and of course I enlisted all the relevant managers to help. But we found the families were really understanding and it went incredibly smoothly.”
At the same time Ward 5 was being readied, a local man in his 50s was learning that he had tested positive for Covid-19. He heard it from health protection officer Cathy Walker who was acutely aware of the important phone call she was about to make.
“I felt quite confident ringing this person and had a good understanding of the virus. But I made sure I had everything in front of me as I wanted to be able to answer his questions.”
Tall and fit, Cathy loves her job. She loves working in environmental health and can often be found outside checking the region's drinking water supplies.
But ringing the man with Covid-19 certainly made for a significant work day.
“I think he said something like ‘oh geez' and then he put the call on speaker so his partner could hear.”
Cathy has admiration for the people she met over the phone that day.
“He always took the situation he was in very seriously and was very helpful. He stayed in his bubble and did everything that had been asked of people arriving back in New Zealand.”
“It was a powerful conversation for both of us I think.”
Keisha Bartlett (Rongowhakaata, Ngati Porou, Tuhoe) is one of the nurses testing people for Covid-19 at the War Memorial Theatre. She's given up cuddles and war games with her sons after creating a bubble of one while she works.
“I discussed with my parents the need to isolate myself if I was working at the centre and what that would mean,” says the 33-year-old.
“I didn't want my parents to get sick and so I have left my boys there and created a bubble-of-one.”
Keisha says her solo situation adds to an already charged environment. When she gets home she pores over videos of what her children have done each day.
“Yes, I feel disconnected and yes, I miss them but they know mum is helping sick people and my family is supportive of what I do.”
Until changes in how New Zealanders live and work are announced, Keisha is resigned to the life she's living. She's missing nerf gun wars with her six-year-old and watching ships at Eastland Port with her youngest.
“I do get upset, but I've got good friends and family support. All that other good stuff will just have to wait.”
Sporty 26-year-old Britta Carroll is also playing a waiting game. The outgoing occupational therapist had recently resigned from her job and was just about to tour the world with her partner when she watched the Prime Minister's lockdown address in the office pictured above.
“The week before, we had decided to reduce our six-month overseas trip to one month, but when I saw the announcement, I realised things were more serious than we thought. No trip, and my partner would have to remain in Christchurch as it would not be considered essential travel to be reunited.”
If that wasn't enough disappointment to deal with, Britta also had to be tested for Covid-19. She'd been to a wedding in Hamilton which had one overseas guest, and after feeling unwell on her way home to Gisborne, she thought she'd better get tested.
Britta was impressed with the process and the care taken to ensure her own and the doctor's safety.
“There's no getting away from the fact it's an uncomfortable test, but I felt like I was in good hands.”
As for her normal work, much of it has changed including the way occupational therapy services are delivered.
“At the moment it feels a bit eerie. We don't have the throughput of people. Everything's changed. Yeah, it's eerie. Does everyone feel like that . . . ?”