Maltese in virus-free New Zealand and total lockdown in England are living in a parallel universe. Fiona Galea Debono compares normal life in one country with a very new normal in the other.

Pandemic life for Maltese in New Zealand and England is poles apart, with masks being an alien concept in one country and a walk in the park the only lifeline for the other.

David Cilia Vincenti in the New Zealand mountains, unfazed by a travel ban in a country that can offer many a change of scene. 

In pathologist David Cilia Vincenti’s world, life in virus-free New Zealand never really changed during the last year, while educational and child psychologist Stephanie Satariano is navigating her third lockdown in London.

New Zealand lifted COVID-19 restrictions back in June, so Cilia Vincenti, who relocated eight years ago, lives a normal life – except that he cannot travel overseas.

But it is a small price to pay, he acknowledges, especially when compared to Satariano, 18,000km across the globe, whose daily and only outing to the park has kept her young family going.

‘Back to normal’ happened after a strict month’s lockdown and six weeks of restrictions from the end of March, so Cilia Vincenti’s busy social life barely suffered.

Although at 43, he says he is not necessarily taking advantage of the possibility to go clubbing, concerts are being organised, theatres are open, bars are brimming and stadiums saturated in a country where social distancing is but a distant thought.

Busy playing competitive chess and practising sports, the Wellington-based Maltese can hardly remember anyone wearing a mask.

Living in a country like New Zealand, known for its vast and varied landscape, means the travel ban is bearable. Cilia Vincenti was skiing in August and will be heading back to the mountains next month.

We are currently in our third lockdown, so essentially, it has been nearly a year of our lives

Although he missed his yearly Christmas trip to Malta to visit his family, and was last abroad in December 2019, he appreciates that he can choose between forests and fjords, beaches and volcanoes for a change of scene, admitting: “We’ve got it all!”

Closing its borders and mandatory quarantine for anyone entering has been critical to New Zealand’s success in combating coronavirus. Returning residents go straight into government-managed isolation in COVID-19 hotels for two weeks.

“It is not all roses, of course,” Cilia Vincenti says, pointing to the economic downside of zero tourism. Domestic travel is, however, thriving and means the money is spent in the country.

“I am in contact with my family in Malta and aware of school issues as my son is there too… Things have dragged on for a year now and this affects mental health.

Cilia Vincenti’s chess tournaments continued throughout the year of the pandemic in virus-free New Zealand. 

“My father tells me he is worried that my mother has gone out,” he says of the different reality others are experiencing.

“In my Facebook groups, American doctors talk about hospitals full of ITU patients – a problem New Zealand has never faced.”

Cilia Vincenti believes Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made good decisions but was also lucky an effective vaccine was found early.

“The country would have to reopen eventually. The vaccine provided an exit strategy and made all the measures worthwhile,” he said.

Moving to its lowest of a four-tier alert system in summer, New Zealand is a somewhat unique global phenomenon – especially when compared to the almost 2,000 daily deaths in the UK. Since the outbreak, over 90,000 people have died there, as opposed to 25 in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, on another planet…

Kiwis rang in 2021 with COVID-free celebrations, while Malta’s festive gatherings are considered the cause of the current spike. And at the start of 2021, everyone in England was forced to stay home until mid-February as a  more infectious variant of the virus spreads across the country.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the coming weeks would be the “hardest yet” amid surging cases. And Satariano, also a paediatric neuropsychologist, who gave birth to her second son nine weeks ago, can vouch for that.

“We are currently in our third lockdown, so essentially, it has been nearly a year of our lives,” she says, grateful to be living close to a park. 

Outdoor playgrounds have remained open and she feels this has been vital for her family’s mental and physical health.

“I feel very sad that it has come to this yet again, especially for children, but there was no choice. The NHS is at maximum capacity... If only people had been sensible earlier on.”

The hardest part is the inability to see family and friends, and her mother is the only person to have met her newborn baby. 

It is also hard for her boys, the child psychologist maintains: “I feel they are really missing out on time spent with grandparents and cousins, as well as important social experiences with friends. Nothing can replace what they have missed in this regard in the last year.” 

Worried about the long-term impact of a lack of social interaction particularly on her three-year-old, she acknowledges children learn so much through socialisation and play and there are things she just cannot teach him.

Describing her lockdown situation as “bittersweet”, Satariano appreciates spending so much time with her children, but admits she is also emotionally and physically exhausted for the same reason.

Added to that is the fear something could happen to them and they would not have access to medical care because of space in hospitals.

“Some days are harder than others, especially since there is no respite or outlet. But at least, I am lucky to like the people I am living the lockdown with.”