In late February, Te Puke Times published an article about Sarah Williams, a Te Puke woman living in South East Asia. Sarah was helping distribute face masks in Bangkok and was also looking to source protective equipment to send to China. Shortly after the article was published, Sarah and her
Covid-19 coronavirus: Homecoming offers opportunity to help locals with PPE
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Lei Wang and Sarah Williams with the packs of PPE they handed out in Te Puke.
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At the time New Zealand seemed to be ticking along as normal in contrast to the situation in Asia.
She says she is grateful to be in New Zealand.
''For now we've accepted we may be here for a while but we've got fresh air and a bit more space to wander around and I think New Zealand has done relatively well so far - although I don't think we can speak too soon yet.''
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Sarah and Lei, who is Chinese, have also been trying to help the community through their contacts in China since they returned.
''We can still source PPE directly from factories and, just before the lockdown began, we managed to source and get delivered some masks for family, friends and people continuing work in an essential business. We donated the remainder to workers in the supermarkets and petrol stations with some messages of support.''
Their contacts mean they may be able to source more in bulk, such as gloves, face masks, sanitiser and gowns.
''We are happy to assist people to get protective equipment, whether it's for an essential business or whether it's something to make them feel more comfortable. Of course, availability is still fluctuating but we are happy to use our contacts to help protect those people in our community who need it most."
The other unknown will be the time it takes to get any PPE to New Zealand.
New Zealand in 2020 wasn't on Sarah and Lei's travel schedule.
''I've usually taken a visit home every 18 months or so since I have been in Asia, but we didn't actually plan on coming back so soon this time - we were looking at going to other parts of the world.''
Before she left New Zealand, Sarah didn't have aspirations to travel in Asia, instead thinking she was more likely to head to Europe for her OE.
But she was offered a job in a language school in Yangshuo, in southern China.
''I had never even looked at Asia, never mind China,'' she says.
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''That's when I started learning Chinese and that's what initially took me there. There is a lot of outdoor adventure [near Yangshuo]. There was rock climbing and I did a lot of cycling and hiking. It's a unique spot in China that I still miss.
Next it was on to Thailand, firstly backpacking then working, for three years, a job adventure tour company in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.
''Then we did a big road trip around New Zealand which was when I first brought Lei here. I was looking at options working in the travel industry, but got a job offer in Bangkok, so I just keep getting drawn back to Asia.''
Sarah and Lei still have plans to travel.
''Obviously that's changed, for now anyway. Now we are taking every day as it comes and seeing what New Zealand has to offer and appreciating it a lot, that's for sure.''
Sarah and Lei are happy to assist businesses and individuals seeking PPE and can be contacted via email: sarah.williams19911@gmail.com
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