It asks for people to minimise social interactions, wear a mask, avoid crowded places and not visit vulnerable areas like hospitals and nursing homes or vulnerable people like the elderly.
Surely Kiwis can be trusted to do the same?
Not only is mandatory isolation out of touch with these other countries but the true compliance rate isn’t even known.
I am suspicious that many people are not even testing either - or the rate of transmission has slowed a great deal. Te Whatu Ora data shows there were 801 new Covid-19 cases in the Bay of Plenty between April 1 and April 11 compared to 5591 for the same timeframe last year.
University of Auckland microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles has called for people to think of the restrictions as important public health measures to reduce transmission and protect lives, livelihoods and the health system.
She says while some people say this puts us more out of touch with other countries, it’s worth remembering thousands more people would be dead, and thousands out of the workforce due to long-Covid if we followed those countries at the start of the pandemic.
It’s important that we listen to top health experts but I also believe it’s time we normalised Covid-19 and treated it like other respiratory illnesses. Many people need to be able to safely work and move about if they have Covid but feel okay.
New Zealand’s initial response to Covid-19 was excellent and saved us from a lot of harm experienced by other countries but the Government could have opened up the country sooner - and it’s time now to move on further.
New Zealanders have been through so much in the past few years and we are now caught in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis as inflation sits at 7.2 per cent.
Many people are over Covid and have other life challenges to deal with.
The Government needs to revisit this decision and loosen the Covid collar from around our necks - and trust its people a little more.
