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Think lockdown is pretty tough going in Mahurangi? Imagine living high up in a multi-story apartment in Shanghai with no escape. Robayne Magnusson discovered a Snells Beach family who are doing just that …
It’s Day Nine of lockdown in the Pahl family’s Shanghai apartment. The dartboard has been well used and so has the putting green in the hallway. It was a lucky find, salvaged from the rubbish bin before isolation began.
The Pahls are eight storeys up with no backyard to stretch their legs in, so they have been forced to be creative with their energetic 16-year-old twin boys.
“The boys have tried skipping, but they are too tall so the rope keeps hitting the ceiling,” their mother Annette says.
Our conversation is interrupted by the compound guard knocking on their door.
Annette is a Snells Beach local known for running women’s groups and the community dinner at Springboard. Her husband Lindsay is a founding member of Springboard and a former community development manager. They moved to China only months before Covid-19 broke out.
The family recently holidayed in Thailand and Brunei. On their re-entry to China, they had to go into quarantine for 14 days in their apartment.
“We have a seal on our door. It is a strip of strong paper which the guard pulls back when he delivers food, water and Starbucks. He then reseals it to ensure we don’t go out. It took a bit of getting used to, but it is for the safety of the community,” Annette says.
“While in isolation we have to enter our temperatures twice a day onto a WeChat group. Once we get out, we will have a green QR code on our phone to prove that we are safe to go to the shops.”
Isolation in an apartment has its challenges. Fortunately, their boys Fynn and Eli, have been kept busy studying for their mock exams. They also spend time playing boardgames, connecting with friends on social media and they stay active by playing football inside.
The family has made a change in their routine by having the boys stay up late and sleep in late, that way they can all have a bit of time away from each other. The apartment has several window seats where they create different zones to keep life interesting by changing where they eat, drink coffee, work and enjoy the view of the city.
Annette says being in isolation has been a good reminder to focus on what is important – looking after each other and getting back to basics.
“We need to keep in mind that this will pass and be grateful for what we do have. Life is unpredictable, and we have to be flexible and give up what we perceive as rights for the good of others.”
I asked Annette what she would like to do first after the quarantine period is over.
“I would like to go out for breakfast, but I will be at work, teaching via an online learning platform so I will settle for going across the road for a chocolate bar.”
And as for the guard knocking on the door? He was delivering some much-needed supplies – two DVD box sets.
