A Christchurch ambulance officer has been reunited with her young family after five weeks.
St John Ambulance officer Louise Scarf opted to live apart from them during lockdown, to keep them safe, as she worked on the frontline.
For the last five weeks the Christchurch frontline paramedic has been attending and treating potential COVID-19 patients - all while living apart from her young family in order to keep them safe.
"It has been tough," she says.
While away, husband Dave's been holding the fort, looking after eight-year-old Pippa and 10-year-old Col while cooking, cleaning and the homeschooling the kids.
Tonight Louise is back home for first time in five weeks and Pippa's excited to have Mum home.
"When she told us she was leaving I kept on crying because I didn't want her to leave because I really like her being with the family and I like having the same bubble," Pippa says.
Louise says it's nice to be home with her family again.
"It'll be nice not having to cook because I am a terrible cook," she says.
"My husband will be able to cook me dinner so that's a bonus. Just lots of cuddles and time with the kids."
St John District Operations Manager Wally Mitchell is proud of the sacrifices the Scarf family and many others in St John, who put work ahead of their families during the lockdown.
"We've got examples that across the country where people have been making sacrifices of that nature, not seeing their families, not commuting in," he says.
"They normally would taking extraordinary precautions to keep themselves and their families safe."
A family kept safe during the lockdown - tonight back together in the same bubble.
