10: Stranded in the Time of Corona

The cancellation of flights and the closure of borders, due to Coronavirus, has left many people stranded in foreign countries and far from home.

Trevor Silverstein, a writer, filmmaker and improviser based in Berlin, has found himself stuck in Hermosa Beach, California with his two 60-year-old parents after borders were closed and travel bans were implemented in the United States. This has had a massive impact on his life, what with being separated from his partner and having to quarantine with his parents who are both high-risk individuals. Trevor goes on to share his experience of quarantining within his own home, getting into remote podcasting, shopping for the family and the huge benefit of online therapy at this time.

Tess Brunton, a multimedia journalist, working for Radio New Zealand in Dunedin, covering tourism and the lower South Island, sheds light on the situation down south. She shares the news of 100.000 tourists who have found themselves trapped in New Zealand and the kindness that NZ locals are showing the visitors. She discusses the lasting effects of the pandemic on their tourism industry, the lack of flights out of the country and how visas are being managed for those who are stuck. Tess also discusses the potential long term closure of New Zealand's borders as Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, suggests limited travel until there is a vaccine.

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