chocolate cake

Sure, but look back at the original L1-4’s set out, and what we now fits under the Level2

Charismatic

I think the Prime Minister describes it as 2.5, level 2 is just a bit more fun than we can be trusted with at our age. The temptation to canoodle is too great.

I ​​​​​​am assured however that if we are very good we will be allowed to stay up late on Saturday to watch Alien or Logan's Run...or whatever happens to be on.
​​​​

jarv5116

I think it's just crazy at the minute.
They can't keep locking places down for 3 or 4 weeks at a time. we're is the money going keep coming from. It's going have to stop.
Thing I don't understand is they locked Auckland down for 3 weeks and the cases are the same now as they where 3 weeks ago.
I can understand the first lockdown. it gave them nearly 5 weeks at level 4 and few weeks at level 3 to have a bit breathing space to sort systems, tracing procedures and work place procedures out.
Now it's all done to the best of abilities lets roll with it for a while and see where it goes.
can't keep locking the country down every few months for a month at a time.
The economy will be wrecked.

Bo-Jangles

When they locked Auckland down three weeks ago they were dealing with a family of four who had ben found to have coronavirus and had no idea of the extent and impact of that. That one family has led to a 137 further related cases because of sods law; that family were seemingly totally oblivious and happily going about their normal life the weekend before being diagnosed; went to work, school, church, visiting rellies in an old folks home, shopping, eating out in Rotorua etc.. That's how insidious this thing is.

Rolling with it I can only see further exponential growth.

I'm not hiding away in my house, I'm still going to work, still doing my shopping etc, still going out for walk to the beach at level 3 or level 2,5 the only difference is a few more shops, cafes and restaurants will be open. Most shops have online shopping and more fools them if they don't, other than overseas travel that wasn't even on the radar, I don't seem to be missing out on much..

Pom_Chch

Lock downs are bad for the economy but so are sick people. You can't go any where or buy anything when you're sick or worse so it's a bit of a double edged sword economy wise. Look what happened in Sweden - no lockdown and their economy was just as badly effected as Denmark and Norway who did lock down. The only difference is more people died in Sweden so was it worth avoiding lock down for the sake of a little bit more money being made? I would say no. The economy is buggered all over the world no matter what seems to be done so we may as well screw the already screwed economy and save lives in the process 🤷‍♀️

Justcol

Not everything can be sold online, and not every business owner has the funds or knowhow to set up online shopping

Bo-Jangles

I'll happily continue to avoid going to church - not good for your health or your wealth.

Charismatic

Spreading more than 'the good word.'

It appears to me Auckland is in the same situation that Melbourne was a few months ago where they had few daily cases for a couple of months but in well defined clusters. The governments challenge will be preventing complacency and keeping cases geographically isolated.

Still no word on locating that index case? Without locating that weakness they must also be ready for a change.

chocolate cake

While this new Auckland outbreak's at 170+ cases, nearly a month after being reported, I don't think it's anywhere near Melbourne situation where numbers have been above 50 a day since late June, and for much of the period 10 times that number.
melbourne graph of daily cases in this article
That said 43 in the church cluster have to be concerning and most of these from level 3 lockdown, or breaking current level 2.5, so wouldn't matter what level of lockdown was, if it's not observed by people with symptoms.

The government have got no interest in tracing the index case, as where ever it originated it's breakdwon in the border controls somewhere, as it doesn't materialise from thin air.

paddy234

I think it's great to see more and more people wake up to the lunacy that is the government's response to covid-19, it is becoming fairly common among the average person to doubt the governments response and handilng of this. I mean Covid-19 has a mortality rate that is the same as and in some cases less than other preventable diseases we choose to live our lives with. Obesity, Skin Cancer, Alcohol etc. Can you imagine telling people what they can or can't wear, can or can't eat or can and can't drink? Doing so could save millions of lives but See where that gets you yet we have shut down the world over something that is no more dangerous than any of these other illnesses. In other words it's bad but not at the level we should destroy our economies driving millions into poverty bad. Personally i think social media wields so much power, it only gives voice to the doom and gloomers because for the media that means click-bait for them, the media is loving this because when else can they pull in so much revenue, keep the people in anxiety and fear so they are constantly on edge to find out when it's all going to end, hopefully never the media hopes. People love the drama so they will be more prone to believing this meanwhile there are thousands of medical professionals all over the world speaking out against it who are now censored by the likes of Facebook and Youtube who think they know enough on this subject to censor others, we live in strange times. The idea that the government is our Savior and not to trust outsiders with different perspectives has always been something we scoffed at with Communist countries yet just look at the likes of Australia isolated from itself, denying people to see their loved ones dying while fast food chains poison their children with foods that will undoubtedly kill them faster than Covid ever will and with a higher mortality rate. It doesn't make sense, it's the kind of bureaucratic incompetence you see that leads to an Empire's demise yet it's happening all over the west.

Personally i don't believe in much of the conspiracy theories which may or may not be true, i just think we have politicians who have no back-bone and are more interested on doing what will make them popular based on the view thats trending rather than the right thing

paddy234

It is if your on the receiving end https://usa.inquirer.net/15692/catho...e-organization

hallie_day

I think we've got ourselves into a bit of a corner.
The idea that borders will remain closed until there is a vaccine (which in reality means a working vaccine that has been distributed and administered worldwide) or the disease is eliminated, is ridiculous.

There were six deaths in the UK a couple of days ago - no doubt more people killed on the roads that week, or by any of the other means Paddy mentions.

Meanwhile, a deeper recession here than Aus is predicted....

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/...ectid=12364329

Charismatic

Most health experts seem to think the first quarter of 2021 will see public vaccinations available to the general public. It might take take a few weeks to actually administer that many vaccinations of course and I expect that the end of restrictions will be phased (so you may well need to wear masks on public transport and avoid churches for a few more months.)

We where always going to take it on the nose economically. What's critical is that governments continue to provide social welfare support and accelerate public works schemes.

paddy234

Yes we were always going to take a hit economically but not to this extent, the extent has been self inflicted which may affect us for generations while Covid-19 is long forgotten. As for a vaccination being available, firstly don't you find it suspicious that governments reaction over this virus which thankfully isn't as bad as we feared are emotionally black-mailing the people by saying society doesn't open until they take it? Second because of that then i feel very few will want to take it in the first place because of such emotional black-mail, many won't even want to take it based on how rushed it all is.

hallie_day

News organisations like the NY Times, BBC, Daily Telegraph are saying that mid 2021 is the earliest that experts predict a vaccine could be approved:Most experts think a vaccine is likely to become widely available by mid-2021, about 12-18 months after the new virus, known officially as Sars-CoV-2, first emerged.

That would be a huge scientific feat and there are no guarantees it will work.

Four coronaviruses already circulate in human beings. They cause common cold symptoms and we don't have vaccines for any of them.
And I imagine it would take months, not weeks to administer worldwide in order of priority.
And what about people not willing to vaccinate? Would they be banned from NZ?
Or NZ'ers who are not willing to vaccinate will be banned from travel abroad?

In a straw poll of friends last week, 2 out of 5 wouldn't vaccinate their families, and to be honest, I would only take it because I want to travel.