I got Covid-19 just eight days after writing my last article about wearing facemasks.

I succumbed to facemask freedoms to go to an indoor concert, and party like it was 1985, thanks to the AutoMatic80s band, who were absolutely awesome! I then gave Covid to my friend who had come to stay that weekend, and she took it home to Wellington. That was a bit stink.

It turns out the AutoMatic80s are playing up at Whangaparāoa in November this year at the same time as Conference. That got me thinking about how we will manage Covid-19 at Conference?

We know what’s going to happen at Conference; there will be hugs and greetings, kai and korero (food and talking), and risk-taking with our Covid-health because we are merely human.

Additionally, we will have bus drivers, convention centre staff, caterers, and our local hosts to consider. Christmas follows November, and I don’t want to start December with a repeat case of Covid.

What will the Covid-scene look like in November this year? If the current case numbers decline, our community immunity, based on vaccinations or Covid-19 recovery, will also have decreased. If a new strain of Covid-19 hits the country, the case numbers will increase, and we are back on the Covid rollercoaster.

If there is a combination of these two scenarios, we may potentially have a lower community immunity when the new strain of Covid-19 starts up. It’s all a bit airy-fairy trying to predict our Covid environment in the months ahead. What we do need is some practical ways to deal with it once we get there.

For starters, we can all boost our Covid immunity by ensuring we get booster shots if we are eligible. I can get mine in early October (three months after having Covid-19), which means my vaccine should be operating well in time for Conference.

Other than vaccinations, it is a balancing act. For every action, there must be a fitting reaction.

1. If you go without facemasks, increase ventilation (being outside is even better) and physical distancing, limiting the time you are physically near other people.

2. If you are going to be physically near people for hours at a time, increase ventilation, physical distancing and facemask wearing.

We could go back to the beginning and create table bubbles for the Conference work days. When you sit at a table, those people at the table are in your bubble. No swapping bubbles during Conference, keep distance between bubbles and increase the ventilation. If you move from your bubble, put a mask on.

Of course, we have to unmask when we eat, so we should refer to item 1 above.

I look forward to seeing everyone, but I don’t want Covid again, and I don’t want to be the cause of someone else getting Covid. I also want everyone to be healthy while having a wonderful time at Conference and over the coming summer.

This Conference will be different, not only because it is the Church’s bicentenary celebration but because we don’t know what is coming.

I would love to know your thoughts on Covid-19 measures for Conference or for what our Covid environment might be like in November. Email me at trudyd@methodist.org.nz.