Dr Liz Gordon: Isolation

At school we studied the so-called great plague of 1665. While the understanding of how it was transmitted was not brilliant at the time, nevertheless self-isolation was very much part of the process. This was accomplished by means of a red cross, as ordered by the Lord Mayor of London:

“That every house visited [by the disease] be marked with a red cross of a foot long in the middle of the door, evident to be seen, and with these usual printed words, that is to say, “Lord, have mercy upon us,” to be set close over the same cross, there to continue until lawful opening of the same house.”

Left alone in their houses to die or not, and with the death carts coming around with the cry “bring out your dead”, London eventually rode out the last of the plagues, with a death rate of around 20% each time it hit.

Thus, since I wrote my last blog a couple of days ago, the spectre of forced isolationism has crept into Aotearoa as a reality for people coming back and for new arrivals, and perhaps for all the vulnerable. Of course, it won’t be like the 1660s.  No-one (much) probably believes this is a visitation from a vengeful God. Preventing potentially infected persons mixing with the uninfected ‘community’ is just good management. There is also no intention, I would think, to leave the sick infected in their homes, untreated.

And yet, isolation is a scary concept.  We rely very heavily on the ability to socialise with others.  I swim three times a week, and I expect now that at some stage the pool will be shut down.  Not a tragedy, but a significant loss of enjoyment of life. My friend is sick and dying, and wonders (a) whether she will be required to isolate herself until death, and (b) whether anyone will be able to attend her funeral.

The idea of isolation is also quite interesting.  The government’s package may fund time for people to do other things (albeit perhaps from home) such as play board games, write papers or books they had always intended to complete, listen to music, have long talks etc. If you are off work, try a short course via a MOOC.  They are free and accessible. Fancy a little astrophysics?

Consumerism and work (including voluntary work) take up a lot of time. The ability to get paid, via the government’s package or through working from home, while avoiding the spending traps of daily life might be a revelation of kinds.  Did you notice how old-fashioned the TV ads – travel, new cars, sales and so on looked last night, in the light of the new realities? More things are changing than are evident at first sight.  

The sealing off of Europe probably heralds a similar action here, as numbers rise.  With all the work behind the Christchurch call – we are all one together – we are now required to see our neighbours and friends as risky creatures, able to infect us and threaten our wellbeing. It feels like a sort of neo-racism – who can we trust?

I do not fear isolation, but I worry for those who do not have an active online life, or who rely heavily on getting out to meet people. I have a cousin in the UK who is preparing to self-isolate – to shrink back from the world for as long as it takes. This is a voluntary withdrawal, fuelled by fear.

My sister has been unable to get home to the UK and is now hoping to stay until May or June, and my friend in the house behind is talking about working from home, so my own community has expanded rather than contracted.

But we do need to find ways to combat the isolation of vulnerable people during this time. Isolation can equal solitary confinement in practice, which is cruel and unusual punishment.  Rest homes, prisons and other place where the vulnerable are gathered must not shut off access completely. 

I applaud the package that the government has announced, and, with others, deplore the dirty beneficiary-bashing of Simon Bridges (see Bomber’s article on that). The reality will descend on him soon, too, that things are different now. Jacinda’s gentle warning to him in parliament that times have changed was masterly.  If we get to an election, I am about ready to take the Labour voting challenge, for the first time in 33 years. I reckon the coronavirus might be the long-awaited death knell of neo-liberalism. Which is very welcome.

Dr Liz Gordon is a researcher and a barrister, with interests in destroying neo-liberalism in all its forms and moving towards a socially just society.  She usually blogs on justice, social welfare and education topics.