Ashburton Courier: March 26, 2020

Local news at www.starnews.co.nz Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday March 26, 2020, Page 15
Staying well and connected
Coping with lockdown
Mid Canterbury businesses,
groupsand services are making
an effort to keeptheir people
connectedbythinking outside
the box.
When Covid­19concerns
grew, many groups and
individuals at places like
schools, churches, fitness
centres, playgroups and
businesses were already
thinking how besttokeep in
touch,and keep safe.
Many took to social media
using sites suchasZoom,
GoogleHangouts, FaceTime,
Viber or Skype using face­toface
technologies.
And others are usinglive
feeds or websites alreadyin
place to keep people active.
Rural Support Trust Mid
Canterbury manager Judy
Skevington urgedrural
communities to keep an eye
out for eachotherand checkin
on their neighbours.
Support is stillavailable
through the trust, contactable
via its 0800 787 254 number,
which people can phone or text
to make contact. There is also
emailatrst.
midcanterbury@gmail.com
Mrs Skevington said
wellness advocates Lance
Burdett and Doug Avery had
also, via their Facebook pages,
made themselves available to
peoplelooking for inspiration
or assistance.
The district’steachers, given
mere minutes’notice of school
closure’s are ensuring pupils
and students have learning
that willaccessibleeither
onlineorthrough home
learning packs after finding
out in the past week from their
communities just how many
had home access to internet.
Netherby School was
reminding its school
communitytokeep up the
reading, playing games with
family, teaching children how
to bake,arts and crafts can be
set at homeand visit learning
sites on line for your children
to engage in.
Labour List MP Jo Luxton
Let’s alllook out forone another
Jo Luxton
You can stay connected with family and friends by using face-to-face technology.
They wereencouraging
parents and caregiversto
expect to be at home for some
time and to keep visiting the
school sites for learning
opportunities.
Priortothe alertlevel
increase,many restaurants,
food producers and providers
had adaptedtheir business
models by offeringdelivery
options, email ordering,or
drivethroughordering not
previously considered.
NetherbyFour Square,one
of the many essential services
in the supply and sale of food,
beverage and other key
consumer goods is still
providing email and collect
orders duringset hours and
days of the week.
As is Mountain ViewEggs,
at Winchmore.The egg
producer usually supplies
district cafes, restaurants and
bakeries but with thatbusiness
slowing to ahalt,their freerangechickens
are still
producing.
“Cafedemandisslowing
We are experiencing an
unprecedented global event as
the world deals with Covid­19.
Here in New Zealand we have
moved to fight the virus by going
hard and going early.
This is adynamic situation and
the decisive action we take now
can potentially prevent the
worst. We are pulling out all the
stops to protect the health of
New Zealanders, and the health
of our economy.
Now that there is evidence of
community transmission, we
have stepped up our efforts to
control the spread of the virus by
moving New Zealand to the
highest Alert level of 4asof
midnight on Wednesday.
This means we will all need to
go about life very differently to
down but the chooks haven’t
caught up with the news and
are still producing well.”
With 1500 hens already
producing and afurther 600
due in the coming weeks,
Mountain ViewEggs has made
its eggs available to the public
for purchase; adozeneggs cost
$7 and atray of 30 eggs is $17,
payment online.
People can checkout their
Facebook page for contact
information or email them
directly at murrayfields@xtra.
co.nz for details.
They willstillbeable to
deliver under alertlevel 4, as
an essential service provider,
and will deliveraround
Ashburton,Rakaia and
Methven for free.
Othergroups, suchas
church groupshave been
encouraging parishionersto
join onlineservices via
Facebook or YouTube.
The Ashburton Parent
Centre have startedplaygroup
and music sessions online
using the online forum, Zoom.
help slow down the spread of this
virus. We all have arole to play.
We are all in this together.
This means that if you are not
part of essential services, stay
home and stop interactions with
those outside of your household.
Non­essential business premises
must close. This includes bars,
restaurants, cafes, gyms,
cinemas, pools, museums,
libraries and other places where
people gather together.
All events and gatherings must
be cancelled, schools and ECE
centres are now closed,
workplaces must implement
alternative working with
everyone who can work from
home, there is to be no
discretionary domestic air travel
between regions and public
The group had their first
virtual meetingthis week to
ensure their supportnetwork
remained.
And the EA Networks
Centre have joined up with Les
Millstoprovidearangeof
group fitness workouts, open
to anyone, thatcan be done
from anywhere.
‘‘Grab yourphone or your
device and stay strongand
healthy throughthis
challenging time,” they state.
The workoutscan be
accessed,for free, via the
virtual fitness button on the
EA Networks centre website.
And popular Garage Gym
owner,Anna Johnson, in
tryingtokeep her four­monthold
business viablefor the
future, has created aprivate
Facebook page,atasmall cost,
givingpersonnel challenges,
motivation and general banter
to users.
It is called the Covid19Save
the Business Membership and
will featureamix of 30­minute
live workoutsand programs.
transport is only for people
undertaking essential services.
These most serious
restrictions will be in place for a
minimum of four weeks to help
defeat the virus. We need to
make sure we continue to do
what New Zealanders do best:
look out for one another, check
in on people who may be at risk,
and unite against Covid­19.
There will be considerable
disruption and we will all need to
go about life differently, the
potential cost of not acting now
is just too high. None of us want
to see our loved ones suffer, so
let’s do what we do best Mid
Canterbury, look out for one
another, check in on people who
may be at risk, and unite against
Covid­19.
Hearing seminar
huge success
Giving advice and support
to those with hearing
difficulties saw the
Ashburton Hearing
Association’s inaugural
seminar touted a
‘‘resounding success’’ by
association president
Aine Whiting.
The well­attended
seminar had hearing
therapist Heather Talbott
speak about the causesof
hearing impairment, how
to cope with hearing loss
and the various aids,
devices and services
available for people
affected.
The Ashburton
Hearing Association
provides arange of
service for its members
especially focused on
social activities.
Aine said the
association decided to
hold the seminar because
it recognised aneed
within the community for
advice and support; the
question and answer
session following
Heather’s presentation
and the exchange of
personal experiences
which took placeover
afternoon tea, confirmed
it.
Although the seminar
was athe first event, the
association plan to
arrange similar events in
the future.
The association’s
annual general meeting,
scheduled for April 17,
has been postponed and
the premises are closed
however those requiring
hearing aid batteries can
phone 308­3999 or phone
/text 0274 853006 for
assistance.
Anglers, hunters
should stay home
Fish &Game New Zealand
is all anglers and
hunters to do the right
thing and stay at home
while New Zealand is at
Covid­19 Alert Level
Four.
‘‘Unfortunately, being
at Level 4 means that
anglers and hunters aren’t
able to do the pursuits
that they love,’’ said Fish
& Game New Zealand
chief executive Martin
Taylor.
‘‘The advice wehave is
that atAlert Level 4anglers
and hunters should
not undertake activities
that expose them and others
to higher levels of risk.
We are also advised that
7Allens Road
Ashburton
Contactusat:
TrevorWilson Centre
215Tancred Street
Ashburton7700
Phone: 03 2616907
DOC huts and campsites
are closed as they do not
meet minimum separation
requirements.’’
New Zealand Search
and Rescue (NZSAR) is
asking people to stick to
simple outdoor exercise
and avoid areas where
they could get lost or
require search and rescue.
NZSAR want to ensure
that emergency services
are available to help those
in the greatest need.
Fishing and hunting,
even close to home,
inherently carry adegree
of risk and itisimportant
for anglers and hunters
not to further burden the
emergency services.
THREERIVERS
HEALTH
Phone 03 308 6030
Mon -Fri 8.30am -5.30pm
Enliven
PositiveAgeing Service
www.enliven.org.nz
Upper South Island -Mid Canterbury
We wish to advise that
Presbyterian Support
Enliven will continue
contactwith current
clients.
2270203
2270325