O Canada! Show us the way
Drone footage of the Wellington protest shows that during the week there are no more than a few hundred people present and, even if this number doubles or trebles at weekends, we still have no more than 1000 people holding the country, capital and the
Government to ransom.
Now that Canada has shown the way, with containment cordons barring entry of people and supplies, selective arrest of ringleaders, punitive measures against blockading vehicle owners and a "slow and methodical" clearing of the streets, one has to question why the New Zealand police cannot apply similar measures.
History is littered with the failures of weak leaders who thought appeasement was the answer to aggression and insurgence, and our police commissioner Andrew Coster is looking increasingly like one of these. If he is not able or willing to act against this unlawful occupation then he should resign to make way for someone who will.
John Denton, Napier.
Speak to advocates
Surely, now that 94 per cent of those 12 and older are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 the herd protection comes into play. This was the reason put forward at the beginning of all this.
We are all supposedly "protected" from the virus and those of us who are not should not be punished for their beliefs. Mandates should now be dropped.
The Government has lost control of the situation as evidenced by those protesting in Wellington. Come out of hiding Ms Ardern and speak to the advocates. Let us get on with our lives and livelihoods. The majority of us do our best to keep safe and Covid free but it is here and has to be lived with. Together 94 per cent are keeping the 6 per cent as safe as we can.
Gwen Dwane, Mangakino.
Softly, softly failure
There is a multitude of mixed messages being espoused from the protest camp in Wellington. It's grown from an anti-mandate movement to a state of anarchy and civil disobedience, infiltrated by individuals who are manipulating others into believing the downfall of the Government will solve all their problems and give them back their "freedom".
The softly, softly approach by the police is clearly not working and they look like a bunch of lame ducks facing an ever increasingly large crowd of malcontents. The opportunity for peaceful mediation has been lost and this is now out of control.
A State of Emergency bill needs to be enacted under urgency before this sedition spreads country-wide and takes on a momentum where social revolution becomes the norm and we will no longer be a democracy.
Sue White, West Harbour.
Collective action
The problem with the idea we are all individuals entitled to do our own thing regardless of circumstances is it negates the common good. When faced with a common threat like a deadly pandemic, only collective action will work. We can't be just out for ourselves unless we simply want survival of the fittest and the lucky.
Our response to Covid has worked very well because most people have accepted the common good is more important than their own entitlement.
MIQ, vaccine mandates, passes and masks in public have saved thousands of lives and ensured our hospitals haven't been overwhelmed. The vulnerable have been spared great suffering because of a caring society. The anti-vaccine minority has ridden on the coat tails of this caring majority. Now their sense of grievance is being exploited by extremist voices keen to foster dissent for their own gain.
Those wishing to challenge the notion of a collective society now sense a real opening to attack the Government. We must place the wellbeing of the many before the entitlement of a few.
Jeff Hayward, Auckland.
Learn from abroad
My twin brother (in his late 70s) in Scotland and my son-in-law in England caught the Omicron strain of Covid recently. In both cases, it took about five days to incubate and then developed into nose streaming, headache and persistent coughs. In five days my brother was through this and told me it was just like having a heavy cold. My son-in-law experienced very similar Omicron heavy cold symptoms and was fully recovered by day eight. Both were fully vaccinated.
Rapid antigen test kits were obtained at no charge from local chemists and they were able to self-isolate immediately, monitor their progress and assess the results quickly in their own homes.
Contrast this with our Government's woeful performance, now imploring some people not to visit hard-pressed test centres which provide a plainly unacceptable turnaround of five days, and its refusal to allow RATs kits for public usage which give an immediate result. It is ridiculous that our Government is unwilling to learn from other countries' experiences.
David Hallett, Mount Maunganui.
