Epidemiologist Sir David Skegg on eliminating Covid-19, uncertainty and what the future might look like.
Welcome to our bayofplentytimes.co.nz feature celebrating great Kiwis going the extra distance in lockdown. Do you have a Lockdown Hero? We want to hear heartwarming stories about businesses or individuals going above and beyond to get us through lockdown. Email: david.beck@nzme.co.nz
A Tauranga businesswoman who is trying to pick up the pieces of this Covid-19 Delta lockdown was left in tears at a local supermarket due to the generosity and kindness of a stranger.
Belinda Lombard runs Lemongrass Catering and, like many local businesses, has lost 100 per cent of business this lockdown.
She was waiting at Cameron Rd's Pakn'Save last week when she got talking to a man who was also waiting in line with her at the entrance.
"I told him I've lost everything. We were just chatting while waiting, you know.
"After a while, we made our way in and I got to the meat department and he comes up to me with this money."
Lombard said the man was handing her about $100, saying he hoped it would help her situation. Stunned, Lombard said she couldn't accept the money, but was overwhelmed with the gesture.
"This man doesn't know me from scratch, but he wanted to give me money to make sure I was going to be okay. I welled up with tears in the middle of the meat department," she said.
Belinda Lombard from Lemongrass Catering. Photo / NZME
"This was a local guy who just stepped up when he didn't have to. Things are not good for people and there's this fella going out of his way to help out. I just couldn't believe it.
"I was completely blown away by this person's humility," Lombard said.
Lombard carried on with her shop before leaving the supermarket, but couldn't shake what had just happened. She hoped that sharing her story would celebrate the actions of the man and wanted remind people experiencing challenging times that help was out there.
The man was tracked down, but declined to comment.
Tauranga, like the rest of New Zealand south of Auckland, will move from Covid-19 alert level 4 to alert level 3 at 11.59am on Tuesday.
On Friday, when the news was confirmed, Bay of Plenty mental health advocate Michael Naera warned some people will be feeling fear and anxiety, especially those who don't know when they can return to their work, business or school.
People should expect some will have breakdowns and being there for one another was one way people could help others, he said.
