A South Canterbury farming couple has been forced into Covid-19 self isolation after attending an international cattle breeding conference in Queenstown.
John and Liz McKerchar, of Shrimpton Hill's Hereford breeding operation in Cave, are in lock down after possibly coming into contact with some Covid-19 infected delegates at the March 9-13 event.
They say the experience has been confusing for them as they did not encounter anyone who was visibly sick during the World Hereford Cattle conference or a post conference tour that was cut short.
BEJON HASWELL/STUFF
John and Liz Mckerchar, who own the Shrimpton Hill Hereford breeding operation in Cave have had to self isolate after the World Hereford Conference in Queenstown. (File pic)
Four attendees at the conference - two New Zealanders, an Australian and a person from Uruguay - tested positive for the coronavirus.
"I think there's a bit of confusion as to how it can be contracted. Whether you can only get it from some one with the symptoms, we just don't know if we were in contact with one of the people who tested positive or not," Liz McKerchar said.
"We're just a week in now. I wake up in the morning and think how do I feel. If I cough or have a sneeze I think: 'What's going on?'
"But we're fine, and there's been no complications."
The conference, held every four years, was the highlight of the McKerchar's calendar, as hundreds of delegates from Europe, South America, USA, England and Australia attend the event.
"We're very distressed though that what has been an outstanding week at the conference and a wonderful celebration of Herefords has ended up like this," she said.
"It's getting attention for wrong reasons, not all the good reasons we experienced during the week."
Liz McKerchar said the post conference tours were booked for four cattle studs but had been cut short after one visit.
"We went to Orari Gorge Station on the Tuesday evening (March 17) and it was called off the next day. They didn't get to Otawa in Mayfield.
"We got an email on the Monday night from the NZ Hereford Association to say that an Australian had returned home and wasn't feeling very well, got tested and tested positive.
"This was followed up by contact from the Ministry of Health."
She said one of their neighbours who was also at the conference are in isolation while another breeder was forced to remove their children from school "a couple of days after the conference".
She said self isolation had one significant silver lining in that it allowed them to catch up on chores they would have otherwise neglected.
"The self isolation is going well. We're getting lots of jobs done.
"The car hasn't gone out of the garage and the office has been as clean as it's ever been."
McKerchar said they had a good system in place with friends delivering groceries and other necessities at their mail box.
"All our neighbours know we're in isolation so they know not to come near us.
"John and I have elderly parents so we had to make it very clear to them we won't be coming near and they've had to stay away too, and if they need anything they should let us know."
A Southern District Health Board statement confirmed "a number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 attended the World Hereford Conference (March 9-13 in Queenstown).
"Conference attendees have been notified and asked to self-isolate for 14 days from last exposure."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/120489369/coronavirus-south-canterbury-hereford-farmers-in-self-isolation-following-queenstown-conference