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Home / New Zealand

Coronavirus: NZ doctor's Italian holiday turns into 'the amazing race'

Mike Tweed
By Mike Tweed
Multimedia Journalist·Whanganui Chronicle·
12 Mar, 2020 06:00 AM3 mins to read

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Andrew Zimmerman is making the best of a scary situation while on holiday in Italy. Photo / Supplied

Andrew Zimmerman is making the best of a scary situation while on holiday in Italy. Photo / Supplied

When Whanganui couple Andrew and Therese Zimmerman began to plan an Italian getaway over a year ago, the last thing they were expecting was to be thrown into a virus outbreak that has forced large parts of the country into lockdown.

Before they departed for their journey a fortnight ago, Milan was believed to be the only Italian city under threat, but things soon changed as soon as they arrived in Florence.

"We knew that there were problems in Milan, so we diverted from Doha to Amsterdam." Andrew Zimmerman said.

"From there we got the all clear to fly to Florence, then over-night everything turned to custard."

Zimmerman, a GP at the Aramoho Health Centre, said the couple had initially planned to fly from Florence to Paris, hoping to spend the remaining two weeks of their holiday there, but the flight was cancelled just as they prepared to board.

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"We've been making a bit of a game of it since then, like we're contestants in the Amazing Race.

"We seem to be the team in last place at the moment."

With all airports now in lock-down, the Zimmermans managed to catch a train from Florence to Turin, with a connecting journey to Paris scheduled on Friday.

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Therese Zimmerman in front of "The Birth of Venus" at the Uffizi Gallery. Photo / Supplied
Therese Zimmerman in front of "The Birth of Venus" at the Uffizi Gallery. Photo / Supplied

READ MORE:
• Coronavirus: What Whanganui's medical officer of health says about the outbreak
• Coronavirus: Knock-on effects hit Whanganui
• Premium - Coronavirus: Whanganui principals reassure community with precautions
• Coronavirus: Shopper visits supermarket in full mask and boiler suit, but no gloves

Despite the severity of the situation, Zimmerman said that the people of Florence had remained calm in the face of the outbreak.

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"Everyone seemed to be a bit annoyed and sombre, but there certainly wasn't any widespread panic."

One unexpected bonus of the situation was having free reign over many of the attractions that Florence has to offer.

Therese Zimmerman's favourite painting, "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli, is usually swarming with tourists, but she was able to study it, alone, for 15 minutes at the Uffizi Gallery.

Police have been quick to enforce a metre gap between members of the public in the Florence city centre, especially in restaurants and shops.

"Therese was a big fan of this," Zimmerman said.

What you need to know
What you need to know

"I think she'd prefer it if I stayed at least a metre away from her all the time."

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Zimmerman said Italian supermarkets are still fully stocked with toilet paper, the exact opposite of the buying frenzy in New Zealand.

"I'm happy to report that there's plenty of toilet paper available over here.

"If anyone wants to place an order, just get in touch and I'll see what I can do."

With a new travel plan in place, the couple hope to get back to Whanganui on schedule.

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