Could 'elderly-only' times at supermarkets be part of an alternative strategy to fend off the worst of Covid 19? Photo / Sylvie Whinray
We must learn to live with Covid-19. We need a Covid-19 Plan B, which must include open borders.
We know the most vulnerable sector of our community is the over-70s. If we open our borders, we must protect them. The remainder can choose their own level of protection
and safety. It's not that difficult.
Lock down every retirement home to level 4 and develop a family visitation protocol that must have entry requirements (appropriate PPE) and constant supervision at the gate.
Introduce "elderly" days. We had carless days, we can have "elderly" days. Every week, on Tuesday, only the elderly can visit the supermarkets, banks, shops and shopping malls while retaining isolation from the rest of the population.
The rest of the week the elderly are on level 3 (and they will want to be) while the remainder of the country are on level 0.
I know this needs fleshing out, but it has the ingredients to allow us to return to productive and prosperous times.
We can be the first country to open fully our economy and protect the vulnerable.
It's a better plan than anything I have heard from this current Government.
Trevor Smith, Takapuna.
Around 1.7 million Team Aucklanders are locked in at level 3 with the remainder of team 5 million locked out of Auckland. We are asked again to fight Covid-19, whilst returnees fly in at leisure, importing the virus into New Zealand. The most likely source of the outbreak is the border quarantine and isolation process.
Is that fair to team 5 million, bearing the burden alone whilst returnees are flying in day by day from high-risk countries?
I propose the border is locked in line with level 3 restrictions for Auckland and for the same time as us.
If we move down and out of level 3, the return and outward bound flights can continue with the proviso of mandatory negative Covid-19 test results not older than five days - in and outbound.
The risk and cost can be contained, as well as prolonged quarantine and isolation time and costs. Test on day two and seven again and all can feel safe if they are released on day seven.
I read that a cyclist who recently won a race is tested twice a week and wears a mask at all times.
Adriaan Terblanche, Hobsonville Pt.
Your editorial (NZ Herald, August 17) is not surprising but is certainly disappointing. To praise our PM and then state she needs good support to avoid crisis situations at our border etc etc, is a bit like blaming a plane crash on the stewards serving the coffee.
No CEO, line manager or small team leader would expect to escape censure because of failures in their operations. Nor should our PM.
The faults are numerous and all are avoidable. From testing border staff; safe quarantine facilities and systems; testing quarantine workers; adequate security; supply of adequate PPE; and also adequate quantities of flu vaccines. These problems go on and on.
Unfortunately, such criticisms are seen as only coming from those with a political bias. This is an error.
Yes, it is a tricky virus and yes, we were lucky initially, but the facts are crystal clear and stuff-ups will not be solved by appointing a new Health Minister. The problem needs strict management at the top and all the way down the line. This has not happened.
We need an experienced and very strong leader, but instead we have a communicator.
Brent Marshall, Stanmore Bay.
While many are blaming the latest Covid-19 breakout on the Labour-led Government, it is important to remember that about six weeks ago, Todd Muller was calling for a Australasian bubble and opening our borders to the Pacific Islands.
Had we done what he and Winston Peters were demanding, we might well now be in the situation Victoria finds itself in.
But not only has this Government had the good sense to try to keep the borders closed, it has had many problems caused by people trying to break the rules. We have had people escaping from managed isolation and even someone breaking in.
Now, we are seeing some people infringing the alert level 3 rules to go to beach houses, etc.
No-one seems to be asking the Opposition how they would have dealt with the mentally disturbed and the selfish in our society.
Sue Rawson, Papamoa Beach.
For many locked-down Aucklanders the daily walk around the block is a welcome respite for grown-ups and a treat for the kids to practise their bicycle skills. Most of us walkers seem to have remembered the protocol of keeping our distance from each other, even if that means taking to the road now and again; some of us have even added the newly advised face-masks.
But a jarring note comes from the energetic runners, mostly young men, who puff, gasp and sweat as they pound along the footpath, suddenly looming up behind old and young walkers before belting past. I have yet to see a runner in a face-mask, and yet surely their heavy breathing requires one more than any others. Shouldn't masks be mandatory for runners?
M. Carol Scott, Birkenhead.
All political parties and candidates have had all year to door-knock, hold public meetings and announce their brilliant policies.
And if it is safe to go to the supermarket and to buy wine and spirits from a liquor store, I imagine it is reasonable to expect that it is safe to vote.
We have to have the elections sometime and perhaps we should have them as soon as possible.
We have no guarantee that this virus has gone for good. In fact the opposite unfortunately might be the case.
Deferring this election may just have helped New Zealand First with four more weeks to campaign and lift their vote, and the Greens, and ensure that both parties remain in Parliament.
Gillian Dance, Mt Albert.
Correspondent Robin McGrath (NZ Herald, August 17) suggests that people who use their cellphone while driving should have their phone confiscated. This would inconvenience the driver, but wouldn't stop them getting another phone and offending again.
The only way to protect these menaces from endangering other drivers and pedestrians is to take their driver's licence.
Once off the road, they can use their phone all they like.
B Hartson, Kohimarama.
Watercare seems determined to prove to Aucklanders just how incompetent it can be. In today's paper (NZ Herald, August 17) we see a story, photo and names of two homeowners who have had their water meters wrongly connected for years.
That's bad enough, but four days after notification and many phone calls, the problem is still not fixed. Then to cap it off, Watercare's spokeswoman will not comment "for privacy reasons" - despite the obvious fact that the two homeowners in question are not
bothered in the slightest about privacy.
David Bevan, Howick.
How refreshing to read Steve Russell's latest well-thought-out observations, (NZ Herald, August 17), and in particular his criticism regarding the incorrect use of the word "absolute".
Yes, language is constantly developing - or should l say devaluing, due to our increasing reliance on unnecessary buzzwords. Can we no longer say yes without adding "definitely" or supporting our every utterance with the word "totally"?
Do you not consider it insulting when someone addresses you with the word "look"?
John Norris, Whangamatā.
Can someone please explain why TV news reporters are wearing face masks when they are quite clearly in a bubble of their own that keeps them at least 2m from people they don't know?
At a time when these reports need to be shared with all New Zealanders, they are effectively excluding everyone who is hard of hearing and who relies on being able to read lips to understand what is being said.
For journalists not to appreciate that this is a real issue for thousands of New Zealanders is really concerning. They certainly don't need to be doing it, so where is that instruction coming from?
Ian Taylor, Dunedin.
On Watercare
The saga of Watercare, and the demise of that CEO, holds a powerful lesson for bureaucrats both current and future. We will now question every salaried position in the public sector where we suspect we are not receiving value. B Watkin, Devonport.
On anxiety
Some children say it's distressing to spend time in nature because of climate change (NZ Herald, August 18). Out of the mouth of babes ... comes truth. With maturity comes the mechanism to cope with uncomfortable reality: denialism. Dennis N Horne, Howick.
On roadblocks
If you want to avoid the gridlock and long delays,it is simple: don't travel. I feel sorry for the truckies who are just trying to do their job. Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.
On blunders
As an employer, try telling any government department that your expectations weren't being met by your staff and see where that gets you. A prosecution and a fine. Ignorance is no defence in the eyes of the law. It should also apply to governments. James Archibald, Birkenhead
The word "cluster" is very appropriate when it comes to describing the organisation and running of our border security and isolation facilities. The Keystone Cops could have put on a more convincing performance. Brett Hewson, Parnell.
Berating either the Government or Health Department over a perceived lack of testing of border staff, does not answer the question of whether or not any staff have had symptoms or developed Covid-19. H Thorstensen, Unsworth Heights.
On exodus
I hope those people now "holidaying" at their baches don't feel entitled to claim the wage subsidy too. Perhaps, if you are not living at your normal home address, you should be exempt from applying. Alison Feeney, Meadowbank.
On priorities
Most people think positively and just get on with whatever needs to be done to keep things going for everybody. The other sort - the me-firsts, the malcontents, the ones who send hate messages - well, a big raspberry to you. Anne Martin, Helensville.
Emergency services were called to the scene about 8.30pm.