Despite the loopholes exposed in border quarantine procedures, the naked truth is that the DNA of this latest Auckland Covid outbreak DOESN’T match any of those we have in quarantine.
That’s why there is so much focus on the possibility it’s entered NZ via freight, now that possibility creates ramifications of its own, but in terms of where NZers will place blame, as much as the Right Wing Trolls and Judith need the outbreak to be evidence of gross incompetence that can be pinned on the Government, the evidence doesn’t prove that and if the outbreak is cauterised by the track and trace protocols, voters won’t blame Jacinda, they will thank her!
The much maligned track and trace program has proven to be remarkably good, the testing regime has been fantastic and the ability to constantly upgrade when loopholes are exposed has been the saving grace behind all of this.
If this cluster ends and doesn’t expand dramatically, it will be another masterclass in crisis management.
This outbreak is going to be a reminder of how important well communicated compassionate leadership truly is and the juxtaposition can’t be more extreme. While Jacinda led, the National Party were pimping conspiracy theories.
By pushing out the election date, Jacinda has chosen a course of action that blunts Judith’s attempt to spike the September 19th result by claiming the election was rigged and poison the legitimacy of a second term Labour Government while putting NZs interests above her own Party.
The only thing the Right have gained here is more rope to hang themselves with.
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We will all pray you are right Martyn “If this cluster ends and doesn’t expand dramatically, it will be another masterclass in crisis management.”
A day is a long time in politics Martyn, we hope all goes that way.
I believe this lastest Covid outbreak will have a silver lining for us and our country. For starters although some NZers have been shaken to there core we are now seeing more people step up and be tested. Before this new outbreak many were reluctant to be tested unless they really had to. We are also seeing more mask wearing something many of us find extremely foreign. More NZers are using the government App and people are being innovative making their own masks, devising other measures for tracing like taking selfies where they go. We have our Government working on ways to keep more businesses open during the different levels. We may have dropped the ball but we just need to look at the rest of the world to see we are still much better of than many others. This factor alone should give us some solace.
Hope you’re right Bomber.
The decision to delay the election by a month is in keeping with Jacinda’s usual attempt to be fair to all parties. However, it might disadvantage Labour and increase support for the conspiracy nutters, Billy T K and Judith via slothful Gerry
I think this delay to the election will come back to bite Labour, as the economy will only worsen.
Most people are expecting that to happen anyway, so it may not make much difference to Labour’s fortunes. Similarly, if National campaign on opening the border they will lose votes as most of us are opposed to that happening, fearing the consequences.
if National campaign on opening the border they will lose votes
Of course they’re intent on opening the border. That’s the BIG lie they’re desperately trying to hide, and so far our media are doing a sterling job in helping them cover it up.
It all depends on whether this CoVID-19 outbreak gets more widespread, especially if it spreads outside of Auckland and the whole country if forced to go into Level 3/4. If it does, it is going to result in Labour polling well below 50% on election day imo, and might even outright cost them the election. Why? Because the “shared sacrifice” will have seemed pointless. The insane cost to the economy will have seemed pointless. People will come to realise that the very notion of “eradicating” the virus via expensive/restrictive draconian lockdowns was ultimately a naïve decision from the Government that didn’t give the promised results (i.e a New Zealand free from CoVID-19). While it’s all a big “IF” at this stage, delaying the election will provide more time for this virus to make a worst-case scenario happen, especially given the health authorities still do not know the origin of this latest outbreak.
I think when people say things like ‘the cost of eradication’ they need to show w.r.t. countries who didn’t try eradication. I think it’ll turn out the same if not cheaper having gone the route we did.
I suspect that our economy is no worse off than those that tried ‘semi lock down’ or other ‘death cult capitalist’ B.S ‘solutions’, to just get the slaves back to work.
Even if it turns out to have cost NZ more than would have been the case, and I seriously doubt that is true, I’d still prefer the route we took. At least we tried as best we could to be humane, decent and put our public/citizens above the almighty economy or dollar.
An economy should be there to help people live a decent fair life, and NOT we that need to be there so an economy can succeed. We are the most important, by a LONG shot, of the two.
Let’s wait and look back in a year and see what was the best path to take. Even if we have three or four more such mini-break-outs, I still think it was the route to go. How many needless deaths have we saved by taking the route we have taken? I’d guess many thousands !!! Look at Ireland as a possible similar country, population wise and population density wise.
Whether the public will be CONNED into seeing matters as horrendously bad management, by a corporate biased lying media and some real (above the usual run of the mill) scumbags in politics, is yet to be seen.
Problem is, is a death needless when it’s a death from a non productive member of society?
At some point NZ needs to grow up and accept that the virus is inevitable unless we do a hard shutdown of the border I.e. citizens only. Nobody else allowed in except citizens. Not even letting in permanent residents who are actually citizens of another country.
People will get lockdown fatigue. Aucklanders already have it.
The mortality rate is worse for the nearly dead, which NZ seems to want to keep alive.
Better off to tell the nearly dead to stay inside, and let the virus move through and burn out in the young and healthy population outside.
Sure some of the young and hungry will survive with long term issues, but the majority of survivors won’t have any issues. It’s no different to polio, measles, mumps, or rubella survivors prior to the vaccine. Some of them died, some survived with long term issues, most survived unscathed.
It is the nature of things. But NZers in general, are too immature to step back and look at the bigger picture and say, what’s worth it? A constant lockdown and a steady dribble of deaths in the 70+ crowd, or encourage the 70+ to stay indoors with each new flare-up and spend the money that would otherwise be wasted on wage subsidies into building special purpose hospitals to cope with those who do get sick enough from Covid to warrant going into hospital?
But again, can’t have a rational discussion about any alternative methods to cope because “no death from Covid is acceptable”
Well, if no death from Covid is acceptable, you might as well replace Covid with “family violence” or “child poverty” or “homelessness”. Humanity has lived with viruses for years. Some burn out, some stick around. The current method is not sustainable long term and will not lead to ready compliance consider the inherent selfishness of many NZers. Non essential travel is supposed to be limited under level 2, but there are still plenty of people buggering off on holidays around NZ. Hardly essential travel!
This isn’t advocating for the Swedish approach either. But no doubt some will latch onto a few words and think it’s all about letting people die en masse when if you read carefully, the focus should be on supporting the nearly dead and vulnerable to have their exposure to the young minimised. Rest homes etc, should be set up so staff live on site. If that means rest homes go back to the olden times model of having nuns caring for the nearly dead, so be it. A Nuns only lover is Jesus, so not as many issues about family to be concerned with.
Agreed. The only way these covid illimitations have any long term value is if we use that time to rapidly boost our medical facilities, increase our ICU wards and prepare ourselves for this thing to swirl around the globe for a few years and then reemerge when it re encounters an unexposed population.
Jacinda’s Labour Coalition Government with Winston Peters New Zealand First…. has given us a breather from the worst of the C19 virus
…they deserve to be re-elected…whatever happens next!
This virus may be attenuating ie reducing in its deadliness ( as viruses often do as they become more transmissible)
‘Mutation making coronavirus more infectious ‘may be a good thing’, says disease expert ‘
https://www.rt.com/news/498290-coronavirus-infectious-mutation-good-thing-expert/
So genomic testing shows this outbreak linked to a previous incoming case, mumble mumble Australian coolstore negative for virus mumble.
Just as well there haven’t been ongoing multiple failures to test at the border eh.
Sooner or later the truth surfaces.
13 more beer bottles on the wall, 13 more beer bottles on wall…….
I think Chippie and St Ash were being a tad optimistic yesterday. This is looking very similar to Sydney at the moment – a high stakes game of ‘whack a mole’. You all confident re the MOH and Chippie?
Is the poor old Herald running out of words to push their beloved Nats along? Article up today again talking about our “border shambles”. Have they forgotten already how, ah, well that went down (and down and down) last time they tried it? Emmerson Tweet Link
The handling is not only a response to this infection, which we are always at risk of, its now a response to the lack of testing for staff involved in border security and quarantining. The latter should not have happened.
We were told everyone at risk is and was being PROPERLY tested, but they weren’t. The government didn’t make sure their directions were being carried out, again. After so many issues with the Ministry of Health and their loose management of this response, Why. The. Fuck. did the minister and the PM not take a personal vested interest in making sure these idiots were doing as instructed?
The genie is yet again out of the bottle and if our security was being run properly the government would not look like possums in the headlights. It was horribly obvious by reports from travellers just how lapse things were.
Why was it so hard to foresee such a blantant risk like half arsed testing attitudes at the border?
re “This is why the left didn’t want the election delayed. ”
….actually Winston did want the Election delayed and he is in Coalition with Labour
So are you spinning?
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