Despite reaching a near 90% vaccination rate, it seems kiwis are all too eager to get back to life as normal and a carefree summer of fun. Is this realistic?
Well Written Chris. Overall totally agree and the freedom march was painful to witness even from this side of the planet. I would give the govt B+ on this. Great start, but badly missed the opportunity to get vaccination rates higher while the border controls kept it out... Key challenges now I think are to strike the balance between enough controls to keep the infection rates manageable while allowing the economy to be open enough to preserve jobs. Also as COVID is here to stay time to review the MIQ system and replace it with something fairer that would enable fully vaccinated people such as myself to come back and see family and friends for the first time in 4 years without having to spend such a long and now unnecessary time in quarantine... Quite happy to get on a plane with a negative test and perhaps 2 or 3 days but then be allowed to leave with a 2nd negative test (vaccinated as well of course). I believe the science would support this as being no greater than the current risk...
I fully agree with you on this Aran. It's all a question of priorities right, the government ruled that public safety and human life took precedence over the economy and jobs. And from a moralistic perspective I can see why, the economy can always recover, dead people can't. MIQ needs to be revised and it will be and I think your approach outlined above is the way to go about it too. Good stuff!
Well Written Chris. Overall totally agree and the freedom march was painful to witness even from this side of the planet. I would give the govt B+ on this. Great start, but badly missed the opportunity to get vaccination rates higher while the border controls kept it out... Key challenges now I think are to strike the balance between enough controls to keep the infection rates manageable while allowing the economy to be open enough to preserve jobs. Also as COVID is here to stay time to review the MIQ system and replace it with something fairer that would enable fully vaccinated people such as myself to come back and see family and friends for the first time in 4 years without having to spend such a long and now unnecessary time in quarantine... Quite happy to get on a plane with a negative test and perhaps 2 or 3 days but then be allowed to leave with a 2nd negative test (vaccinated as well of course). I believe the science would support this as being no greater than the current risk...
I fully agree with you on this Aran. It's all a question of priorities right, the government ruled that public safety and human life took precedence over the economy and jobs. And from a moralistic perspective I can see why, the economy can always recover, dead people can't. MIQ needs to be revised and it will be and I think your approach outlined above is the way to go about it too. Good stuff!