Coronavirus - New Zealand
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@MajorRage said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@Snowy No need to feel for me. It's shit, but there are millions of others in far worse situations due to this than mine.
This is the "downside" of NZ success of eradicating it, and UK's failure to not really control it. It's always going to be a part of UK society now, just like influenza and the common cold. Unless NZ wishes to have it ravage through leaving the country in partial herd-immunity state, then it will need to remain closed for the foreseeable future.
Pretty damn good if you live there and no need or desire to travel out.
Actually I have done my travelling for far too long.
I'm realising that it isn't a success. We should have let it happen. I have posted on other fuckhead virus threads about it.
People die.
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@Stargazer said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
The whole thing is that people were screaming for people in managed isolation to be granted exemption on compassionate grounds to be with dying family members and to attend funerals/tangi. Now, people are complaining that people who received such exemption appear to be infected. I wonder how many of these are the same people?
Same people?
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@Bones said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@MajorRage yep, the realisation that I might not get to experience my childhood home again. Might be my ma's 75th before I can even get into the country!
It's still very fucked up ay. There are no answers, we probably should have let it happen.
Sounds defeatist but trying to beat it hasn't really worked either.
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Sometimes in my gloomier moments, I wonder if it's right to assume that the much lauded calmness and the excellent media training of the Director General of Health really gives us much insight into his ability to oversee an effective, systemic, health response.
The PPE availability discussions early on, the slow roll out of testing, the half-assed contact tracing system, and the lax process revealed today seem to cause such moments.
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On the way home tonight I told Mrs JC about the new cases. She turned on Newstalk ZB just in time to hear the Minister of Health talking to the announcer woman, whoever she is. What a useless fuck he is. Nothing was anybody’s fault, he insisted he was right on top of his brief, in close contact with Bloomfield, and yet totally blindsided by her asking him about the story Bloomfield told today about 2 teens who were given compassionate leave to attend a funeral and did a runner. But was very reassuring that the thing he knew fuck all about was definitely not a problem.
Ardern should sack him. If he’s the best we’ve got for such an important job we are truly buggered.
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@Snowy said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
(and I feel for you about your parents - I have spent more time with my Dad - much older -in the last week than ever before and realise that he needs my help).
My entirely anecdotal experience of the last few years is that some Dad's are awesome at asking for/accepting help early. Others are still awesome.... but are perhaps too stoic for their own good at times.
I hope yours is on the right side of that ledger!
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@Donsteppa isn't his recommendations given to Govt. to approve/amend?
Wasnt his recommendation from he start to close the borders completely?
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@taniwharugby said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@Donsteppa isn't his recommendations given to Govt. to approve/amend?
Wasnt his recommendation from he start to close the borders completely?
My understanding is that he is responsible for the Ministry of Health: https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/leadership-ministry/executive-leadership-team, whose job it is to: "lead New Zealand’s health and disability system, and has overall responsibility for the management and development of that system." https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/what-we-do
It could be argued that you wouldn't need to close the border completely - to the exclusion of New Zealand citizens by that standard - if the Ministry of Health could run a competent 14 day quarantine, including blanket Covid testing system of 250 people per day.
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@Donsteppa what I mean is he makes recommendations based on interest of our health system to Govt to endorse or if they dont like, amend...given he supposedly made that recommendation to shut borders entirely which was supposedly vetoed by Govt.
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You fuckheads better still let me in at Christmas
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@Snowy said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@Bones said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@MajorRage yep, the realisation that I might not get to experience my childhood home again. Might be my ma's 75th before I can even get into the country!
It's still very fucked up ay. There are no answers, we probably should have let it happen.
Sounds defeatist but trying to beat it hasn't really worked either.
I'm in the middle of a country which basically just let it happen ... I can confirm that ain't a desirable thing to do either!
Having said that, I may review this opinion in a years time.
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@taniwharugby said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@Donsteppa what I mean is he makes recommendations based on interest of our health system to Govt to endorse or if they dont like, amend...given he supposedly made that recommendation to shut borders entirely which was supposedly vetoed by Govt.
That's one part of his job. He also has responsibility for how the health system operates. Like all things for government departments, there are some things that a Ministry can never fully control. But the buck stops with them operationally. For the Ministry of Health, that includes how quarantine, Covid testing, contact tracing, or quarantine exemptions operate in practice.
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@mariner4life said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
You fuckheads better still let me in at Christmas
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@Donsteppa said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@taniwharugby said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@Donsteppa what I mean is he makes recommendations based on interest of our health system to Govt to endorse or if they dont like, amend...given he supposedly made that recommendation to shut borders entirely which was supposedly vetoed by Govt.
That's one part of his job. He also has responsibility for how the health system operates. Like all things for government departments, there are some things that a Ministry can never fully control. But the buck stops with them operationally. For the Ministry of Health, that includes how quarantine, Covid testing, contact tracing, or quarantine exemptions operate in practice.
I think one of you is talking about Bloomfield and the other about the minister?
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@mariner4life said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
You fuckheads better still let me in at Christmas
Sorry no mate. We took a vote. It’s all democratic and everything.
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@JC said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@mariner4life said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
You fuckheads better still let me in at Christmas
Sorry no mate. We took a vote. It’s all democratic and everything.
Ah come on, @mariner4life is still welcome for Xmas lunch. He just needs to book a flight on the 11th.
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@mariner4life Well you are doing good work in my AB Depth thread.
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@Tim said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@mariner4life Well you are doing good work in my AB Depth thread.
Sponsor a brother?
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@No-Quarter said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
And the government thinks granting exemptions is an appropriate thing to do? Trusting that two women will drive the length of the fucking North Island without touching a single public facility? Jesus Christ what is wrong with this government?
It really makes you wonder how much thought was actually put into the strategy of eliminating it. It should be patently obvious you can't let people skip the quarantine for any reason once we'd started getting rid of the virus.
If they don't even realise that, it gives me little faith their decision making took any of the implications of eliminating the virus into account.
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Or how could those directly responsible for managing this process fuck up so hard? Insufficient training/expectations? Too much latitude to make case by case calls? Miscommunication? The list could go on.
The takeaway for me (aside from the anger and facepalm about it all) is that we need umpteen layers of checks and double checks so our process is warertight. Where we err on the side of caution and recognize exemptions for individuals or small groups just add too much risk at this point. We've got to steel ourselves about the emotive stuff and genuine (and often heartbreaking) stories we'll keep hearing in the media.
Can't have our cake and eat it too unfortunately 😔
Its shit, no doubt. But the whole thing stinks anyway!