A couple of big announcements that are worth giving some thought to, and making a few comparisons.
A roadmap of sorts was announced in New South Wales. The vaccinated get access to pubs, restaurants, and cafes. New South Wales is opening back up and living with Covid. A similar plan is being sorted for Victoria.
Australia, this week, announced international borders will be open by December.
Scott Morrison yesterday announced ex-pats will be able to return and isolate at home; their mad ban on travelling overseas will be dropped.
Singapore opened travel corridors to Europe, Macau and Hong Kong. Presumably, given Australia's announcements, that means Aussies can travel to Singapore, return, and self-isolate. We have the same deal but we can't get home.
Denmark announced for them Covid is done. Testing is to be reduced, the vaccine is the answer, and their restrictions are going. Sweden is on a similar path.
By way of contrast, the good news here was we found 250,000 vaccines, which allegedly covers the gap between now and the big orders arriving next month. But why only 250,000? And where is the other country in the so-called multi country deal? Something has gone wrong.
We also will have a Covid passport by Christmas, that’s good.
But our borders are still closed, the reconnecting with the world plan is delayed, elimination is still the option, and we are still locked down unlike the vast majority of the world. We are not forging forward in a specific and deliberate way anywhere near the way so many others are.
Just in our region, look at Singapore and Australia, look at the vaccine rollout numbers, look at the planning, look at the specifics, look at the targets, and look at the aspiration and hope those announcements targets and specifics bring.
Meantime, here this week, the Government asked for another $41 billion on the debt overdraft. The price of this past month is $1 billion a week.
Ex-pats can't get a MIQ spot, MIQ is closed, we can't trace the outbreak source, and we still have mystery cases. We are in, comparatively speaking, a woeful place, with tangible examples around us of how others do it indisputably better.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings.
1 comment:
Well said Mike. Our government wanted to show the world how clever we are. Instead we are showing how vain we were. The whole country was locked down to placate Auckland.
We did not push vaccines until there was an outbreak. Vaccination dribbled along. Now we have this massive advertising compaign pushing vaccination without surety there will be enough.
At risk people get contradicting advise from a government who keep saying, 'believe in us'. Not easy when they refuse vaccinations to people serving the public.
Time for the government to admit is has screwed up and return to the process of living.
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