If you missed what Chris Hipkins told Parliament yesterday, the re-opening plan is on ice.
The Sir David Skegg plan, the trial of people who go offshore, come back and self-isolate is on hold.
When this Government says things are hold, you’ve got to sink into your chair with some real despair because no one delivers less and takes more time to deliver less than this lot.
Hipkins says Delta has changed the game; heard that one before?
So, what was already a pretty conservative view of the world, a world in which a trial gets an outing before Christmas with the possibility of some sort of border easing next year, is now worse. We are allegedly back at square one.
Here is why it is so dangerous. By the end of November, the vaccine programme should be done, and we will at last have joined most of the rest of the world in doing basically all we can to keep Covid at bay. At that point the deal was, and should be, that we live with it.
Yes, we are in lockdown right now because they couldn’t roll out the vaccine properly. But once that is over are they seriously now telling us that reopening is an issue? Are they seriously now telling us that the vaccine actually, isn't it? The Sir David Skegg guidance was vague enough as it was.
By the way, small red flag. While NSW is targeting 70 percent vaccination rate, Australia nationally is at 80 percent and the bulk of the rest of the world has opened up on 80 percent or less. Don't be surprised if this lot suddenly nominate 90 percent as some sort of target for freedom to stall for time.
The so-called freedom, now, given what Hipkins is saying, is in real question, given even the vaguest of outlines is now “on ice.”
If this drags into next year, and the likes of Australia and Singapore are travelling and doing business, and the world has worked out that living with it is the only realistic way to go, and we are still banging on about elimination, then watch the exodus begin.
The nurses have already gone, the work visa holders stuck here are bailing, the applicants to come and work here are giving up. The bright, the prosperous, and the ambitious will be off for better days, better options, and better countries.
The only thing the Government appears to have successfully delivered in 18 months of Covid is the policy of procrastination.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings.
3 comments:
As I've said before, this government will milk Covid for all its worth. It's the only half-way successful policy they've got!
As long as they think there's a majority of scared stiff, stay-at-home, hunker down Kiwis who will go on TV1 news and say what a great job the lockdowns are doing, how much they love their bespoke face mask and aren't we the lucky country then they'll stick with it - ideally until the next election.
The question is will most Kiwis want to re-join the real world and face up to the reality that Covid will be a fact of life, vaccination or not.
I think that you are correct. The vaccine is not a vaccine as we know it and there is evidence out there that "vaccinated" patients are still dying if vulnerable.
I believe ardern's fear is that we will all vaccinate, covid will become endemic and the vulnerable here in NZ will die, vaccinated or not, which will then totally expose the utter stupidity of her current strategy
The government is running out of ideas around Covid. The daily update of statistics is meaningless to the majority of those who might deign to watch the Govt. sponsored channel, TV1.
Playing to peoples fears is a sure fired way to keep them compliant, almost any reason can be given to warrant drastic action by a government and in extreme situation, use force to ensure compliance.
That happens now to a certain extent with prosecution of some who have absconded from MIQ or broken lockdown rules.
For Hipkins to say level change from four is "on ice" most irresponsible in the extreme and further indicates the government i has no idea where to go from here.
Lets hope everyone remembers all the at next election. Unfortunately, probably not.
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