A few days ago, I posted that:

• I planned on leaving for Wellington on Saturday
• New Zealand only had eight confirmed cases of COVID-19
• I felt cautiously optimistic about my chances here

The last one could still be true, but the others aren’t. NZ has 39 cases as of today. The US State Department has advised all citizens to return back to the states. They’ve advised that citizens “may face unpredictable circumstances, travel restrictions, and challenges in returning home or accessing health care while abroad.”

I debated for a few hours on what I should do.

On one hand, I feel like my chances in NZ are greater than that in the US, and traveling right now would only increase my risk of contracting the virus (and potentially spreading it to others).

On the other hand, I am of little use to my family in the US if the airlines choose to stop flights and I’m stuck in a foreign country and depending on their health care system if I get sick. Additionally, if the airlines stop flights, I have no idea when I would be able to return to the states.

I’ve decided to come back home.

“Home” is a good question though. I don’t have a place of my own to stay. I’m going to travel with the assumption that I will get infected, and thus I do not want to stay with any family or friends. I’ll hopefully find a place to stay which will require minimal human interaction.