Claims of Covid Lockdown ‘false alarm’ are grossly unfair

By
Martyn Bradbury
-
23
944
The only thing lethal enough to kill Coronovirus is bleach and Mike Hosking

I think any allegation or claim that the Government’s sudden lurch into Level 3 was a ‘false alarm’ are grossly unfair.

Sure, a ‘false alarm’ in the sense that it’s looking like we might have dodged another Covid bullet, DESPITE the two new cases connected with the student announced this morning.

But the way ‘false alarm’ is being insinuated by critics of the Government suggest a panicked or spooked or ‘girl who cried wolf’ spin to it and I think that is simply wrong.

We demand this Government keep us safe, and to date Jacinda’s leadership has saved us from the fate we see everywhere else.

They jumped the moment they saw a leak with the type of force required to stop it spreading immediately.

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Until there is herd immunity, that’s what we are demanding, so hyper vigilance from our Leaders is the requirement.

Jacinda following the science and taking us to Level 3 was not a case of the ‘girl who cried wolf’ style overreaction because the wolf is real, armed and currently rampaging around the planet!

We are unbelievably lucky in this country and it is a gauche audacity to complain about Lockdowns when our Leaders exercise the caution we are demanding.

How much angrier would you be if they had been lax and had done no lock down and it was spreading to a point that required Level 4?

I argue all this while absolutely acknowledging the economic pain for many, many NZers.

I don’t make this call to support the decision from a place of privilege, sweet Jesus, I’m having to move into this red hot rental market after my current landlord decided to cash in on the skyrocketing house prices!!!

Thanks Labour.

But I still stand by the call to go to Level 3, despite the economic pain it’s causing in real and measurable ways.

This is when it starts getting harder and we are a long way from any time when this won’t be the reality.

 

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23 COMMENTS

  1. I have a sister in the UK and 2 son’s in Melbourne so have first hand knowledge of how quickly this virus can get out of hand.This government have been very lucky that their errors have not resulted in a bad situation but generally they have kept us save and free to live a life that many around the world envy.

    • Precisely, Trevor. I have one asthmatic offspring living in one of the worst affected areas in the UK, plus close relatives in Melbourne, one totally on their own. I worry about them, and know enough to heed government advice about what we should be doing, and are doing here in New Zealand.

      I assume that lockdown critics exist divorced from the grim reality of what is actually happening in the rest of the world – or are pathological sociopaths.

      I found complete lockdown hard, but will continue to follow advice.

  2. Climate Change deniers (Planetary Meltdown deniers), and others with vested interests, have managed to corrupt the meaning of ‘alarm’, and have generated the word ‘alarmist’ to mean a person who [according to their narrative] sounds the alarm when ‘there is nothing to be at all concerned about’.

    As a consequence of the awful polices promoted over recent decades we now have more emergencies, more crises, more debacles than anyone can sensibly keep track of –climate, energy, biodiversity, economy, finance, obesity, diabetes, dentistry, homelessness, child welfare, animal welfare… Alarm bells are sounding all over the place.

    But the coronavirus pandemic is the only one getting much attention from the government.

    i wonder why that is.

  3. Agree, Martyn.
    In Aussie some states have just as quickly gone into immediate lockdowns with the new virus strains around.

    And hard and early does prevent greater economic damage later.

    Sorry to read about your rental situation. We should have a rent freeze ASAP.

  4. God! surely it’s all or nothing if we are going to try to keep this thing out.
    The family did test positive didn’t they? How can it be a false alarm? Any other response would have been to ignore the positive tests and give up on keeping it out. That is the only possible preferred option by anyone trying to argue against the response.
    D J S

  5. My son works in healthcare in the UK. I get occasional quick e-mails from him as he is rushed off his feet, working sixteen to seventeen hour days and unable to go home from quarantined wards.
    ” Dad it is hell here and the poms have completely fucked this. I really wish my wife, kids, and I were safe with you in Aotearoa.’
    Of course we should play it safe.

  6. Completely agree. They’re doing a good job of keeping us safe. Although I’ll be alot happier when everyone on the border gets the jab.

  7. “We are unbelievably lucky in this country and it is a gauche audacity to complain about Lockdowns when our Leaders exercise the caution we are demanding”.

    Agreed. We are lucky. We don’t know how lucky we are, in the words of JC (John Clarke that is, rip). Just take a look at the mess some parts of the world is in. Go hard, go quick, leave no stone unturned. It’s what we have been promised. Broken promises: never a good look. Inclusivity is subjective however. “We” doesn’t extent to everyone. Not everyone in the team is demanding caution. Death cult capitalists, libertarians, honest folk trying to make a dollar from a marginal business that depends on face-to-face contact, party goers and outdoor concert fans, those who (secretly) just want to visit the mall. Hard to put a finger on those pesky contrarians. The Dutch do it with style, don’t they just!

  8. Note two things.

    National has been quiet since the move to Level 2, and Gorman (a Naitonal appointment to the National Health Board, side kick of Murray Horn – they proposed an appointed body taking control of our pandemic response in 2020), makes the political attack on Mike Hoskings show – and straight to the Herald of course. It is National’s response (but at arms length).

    • How to make a pandemic political 101.A National appointed Doctor. A bit like Collins when at ACC. Didn’t agree with a doctor’s prognosis so shopped around until she found one that would agree that there would be no payout. The official prognosis ” pre existing injury “

    • “A health expert has blasted the Government’s alert-level responses of the past week, saying people were confused over an inconsistent approach – and distressed at the “political theatre” of the Beehive announcements.”

      Distressed like a paid up National Party member.

      His concerns

      1. The MOH knew stuff late on Saturday evening and government did not make a decision until late Sunday afternoon – because decisions are made by Cabinet or an inner group of Cabinet.

      Is he saying a bunch of unelected appointed people making decisions would have all zoomed up at midnight and decided then and there?

      Implying democratic (accountable to voters) government is not capable of acting fast enough …And that a government person stating the decision and why is “political theatre”.

      Neo-liberal with an authoritarian bent much.

      Then implying if the government’s delay has no consequences and the level is moved down to level two the public would see it all as being inconsistent – sounds more like a opposition politician upset he cannot accuse the government of a failure to act quickly enough when it operates to a process.

      And it’ll be lead story all day at the Herald, as they cross fingers for a developement that will allow Collins to open her mouth.

    • In Stuff there was Bishop double speak, distrust in how government use language when in power to sow seeds of doubt over anything they claim and whether they are being transparent (father) and the son claiming the government’s decision to go down to level 2 was was both bold and big and he was surprised by it. This is opposition speak for I would like to say this is clearly wrong, but I do not know what they know, as they have not told me (transparency). And of course moving into a position to later attack the government if the outbreak runs away a bit, without annoying those in Auckland who welcome an early end to level 3.

      Synchronised like a conversation about a dead parrot.

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