Jan 19, 2021
TRAVELLING HOME IN A COVID WORLD
By Father Dan O'Connor - Pakistan
Covid-19 has certainly shaken up the world, including Pakistan, New Zealand and myself. It was my year to have home vacation in New Zealand in 2020 and my concern was “will flights go from Karachi to Auckland”?
During May and June confirmed Covid-19 cases in Pakistan increased rapidly. There was fear of what the future would hold. In the parish in Badin, Hyderabad Diocese, in the southern province of Sindh, where I was on mission, a lockdown/curfew was in force Pakistani cultural style. Many poor people had to find work so as to feed their families. Christian cleaners were needed to clean the gutters and sweep the streets...In Pakistan it is estimated that about 55 million people (25%) are below the poverty line, with approx 20 million children not attending school. Shops in the bazaar were supposed to be closed though some had their roller doors partly open with the shop keepers being on guard and any customers who turned up were welcomed. I needed an item from a shop and while in the shop the police did their rounds and the roller doors were slammed shut with me locked inside in the dark. After some time, the door was opened and I made my exit.
Father Dan O'Connor building a school during the Covid Pandemic in Pakistan
Armed police are stationed 24/7 at the entrance to the church compound for security reasons. One of them, Muhammad Noor told me that he is called for duty at the college where cash is given out for the poor to purchase rations. I inquired about the possibility of visiting there one day to check out the situation and he replied…. “There is a big rush of people in the morning so come in the afternoon and then contact me as one day there was such a big stampede that in trying to control the people I broke my Lathi (cane type stick) when I was hitting them.” Ramchand, a catechist, and I went in the afternoon. There were many people crowded together, with most not wearing masks, waiting in long lines, one for the women and the other for the men. I could see from appearances that most were very poor. Another policeman lurched towards us with his stick in the air and I thought that I was about to be hit. Policeman Noor was able to keep us safe from this looming attack! Inside the college it was very hot and the people whose names were on the list received the handout, though the officers were taking their cut from them. I reported this to Noor who told me that it should not be happening.
The New Moon was sighted late in the night which then meant that the Holy Month of Fasting was over and that Eid would be celebrated the next day but in a subdued manner because of Covid-19. The leader of the nearby mosque, Ramzan, was delighted that Ramchand and myself accepted his invitation to have an Eid meal with him in his home.
I travelled to Karachi to catch the Emirates flight which went via Dubai to Auckland. Before boarding it was essential to show a negative Covid-19 test result. When I was waiting for my test, Suleman, the travel agent, rang me and told me to go back home as the flight had been cancelled. A few days later when another flight was confirmed I got the Covid-19 test carried out at the only clinic that Emirates would accept as being valid. There were very few passengers on the flight and when we arrived in Dubai, the very large terminal which was normally bustling with travellers, was eerily quiet.
When we touched down in Auckland it was a wonderful sight to see the green grass of Aotearoa. The airport was very quiet but a delightful welcoming gangway with scenes of the country and words such as “come together, down to earth, ready to go, stand tall, turn to me, bask in light, catch the sunset” was very nourishing for my heart and soul. After immigration formalities were completed we boarded a bus, driven by a woman, which is a big difference in culture compared to Pakistan. We were taken to the Grand Mercure Hotel in Central Auckland to spend two weeks in managed isolation. The security and staff greeted us with “welcome home” which took on new meaning. One was a Sikh from India’s Punjab. He was delighted that I was able to converse with him in Punjabi and Urdu/Hindi language as were some of the other staff who had been born in India or Fiji. Coming from a very hot summer in Pakistan it was luxury accommodation and being able to have a blanket on the bed added to this comfort. Meals were very tasty and nourishing and as a result a trouser button on my waist popped.
I was very grateful to the government and taxpayers who footed the bill. Every second day a maximum of 10 people per session were taken to the wharf area for 30 minutes exercise in a fenced area of approximately 100 by 10 meters. It felt like being a prisoner being held at a distance from one another and with security present wearing masks and gloves and with the footpath being blocked off to pedestrians as we were loaded on to the bus and off loaded later when we returned to the hotel. One day, at the fenced off exercise area where I was jogging, I was told to slow down. The security was essential and appreciated, though a few people in isolation at that time had escaped. I enjoyed the time in the hotel very much as It was like a type of retreat with the solitude and was a good break period coming from Pakistan and having this time to adjust before stepping out into life back in New Zealand.
Kokatahi Valley, West Coast, New Zealand
One day as I listened to the news I was startled for a second, as it reported that there were 2 new positive cases for Covid-19, one being a man in his 60’s who had travelled from Pakistan via Dubai. It then went on to report that he was in isolation in Rotorua whereas I was in Auckland. After two negative test results and 14 days in isolation, it was time to depart the hotel and as I walked out into the street there were many pedestrians and I felt that I was out of the comfort zone and was a little hesitant to walk freely without a mask and gloves. On the walk to St Patricks Cathedral Parish house in Auckland, a young man helped me with my bag and this gesture along with the kind welcome at the parish house I felt the joy of being home again.
St Columbans Mission, Lower Hutt
After some days on the move and travelling on buses I arrived at St Columbans in Lower Hutt where I spent a most enjoyable week. At the end of my stay I boarded the ferry to Picton and then a bus which took me on to Christchurch. After a stay in Christchurch I at last arrived home into the beautiful valley of Kokatahi, on the West Coast of the South Island. A fulfilling and enjoyable time was spent with family and friends and I was able to do some Columban Mission promotion and thank the many generous people in a number of parishes where I relieved and helped out. It was also Spring time on the farm. This is a very special yet sometimes challenging time with the cows calving and all that goes with it. I had to endure many wet days on the West Coast but was able to enjoy sporting events with the Greymouth Harrier Club and Hokitika Cycle Club which was good for my fitness and allowed me to meet up with old friends again.
My return to Pakistan was also delayed with some flights being cancelled, though eventually I was able to board an international flight from Auckland and arrived into Karachi a few days before Christmas. A negative Covid -19 test result was all that was required to enter Pakistan. The next day I started duty in the new area/parish where I have been assigned. Large crowds of people attended the Christmas and New Year’s Day Masses in city and country areas. In the bustling streets only a minority of people wear masks. Confirmed Covid-19 cases are reported as about 2,500 daily with about 50 reported deaths each day. Pakistan has a population of around 220 million. The many facilities available in New Zealand for testing and isolation are not available here. Prime Minister, Imran Khan declared, “In Pakistan as with other diseases present, we just have to learn to live with Covid-19.” We do feel relieved that there have not as many cases or deaths as was feared. It is said that this is because Pakistan has a young population. Confirmed Covid-19 cases have passed the 500,000 mark.
Sister Ruth Lewis of the Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King, who for many years has devoted her life to caring for special people who are challenged physically and mentally, fell ill to Covid-19 and subsequently died on July 20. She contracted Covid-19 after making the decision to personally care for 21 infected residents of the Dar ul Sukun home (House of Peace), which she had founded with Sr Gertrude Lemmens in 1969. She can be regarded as a modern day saint.
Sr Ruth Lewis, who died in Pakistan July 20, 2020
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