One or two may have thought, "Great, another pill to take".
The Gore care home’s manager Lynda Harding confirmed it was not medicine, but rather a time capsule.
Mrs Harding and her staff had been discussing different activities which could keep residents occupied during the lockdown.
"We wanted to mark this unusual time in some way, going forward.
"The activities co-ordinator came up with the idea of a time capsule."
She said there would be all sorts of items going into the capsule, like newspaper articles about what was happening in the Gore community, across New Zealand and around the world, as well as stories from residents and their families describing the impact the lockdown had had on them, and photos of the care home residents going about their daily activities during the lockdown period.
"I also want to do a timeline through history showing the Spanish Flu and the Sars virus, and all those things that have lead up to Covid-19, and also the impact that nurses have had on these situations — particularly Florence Nightingale who said washing hands was always a go."
Mrs Harding also encouraged members of the community to provide items for the capsule.
It was hoped all the items would fit inside a small safe, but if the collection became too large for it, she had a "massive safe on wheels" that could be used to preserve the materials.
She said the Covid-19 capsule would be buried at the front of the care home with a plaque marking its location.
"It will say when it was buried, and it will ask for the capsule to be dug up in 50 years’ time, or whenever.
"It’s so that people can see it and visit it. We want it to be a visual thing and very much a community thing."
Care home resident and resident representative Gilbert Winwood was delighted with the idea.
"This capsule is a great opportunity to capture a moment in time in Gore’s history where everything changed.
"It’ll be good to look back on for future generations."
