COMMENT:
Christmas is coming and, after 21 months we seem to be seeing some form of normal return to our lives. Not the old normal but a normal that includes masks, vaccination passes, Covid tracer
apps and carrying identification such as driver's licences or passports. The normal that most New Zealanders are slowly coming to grips with.
Popping down to the shop has now turned into a minor logistical episode. This is all depending on whether the necessary pass for a vaccinated person can actually be obtained from the Ministry of Health website and installed on a phone or printed off. These are, of course, minor teething problems that will in due course be resolved. Like many issues the country has faced in recent times dealing with Covid.
With the new traffic light system starting, it feels like we may have turned a corner away from lockdowns towards learning to live with this bug. Vaccination rates are reaching 90 per cent or not far off in most parts of the country. Booster shots are now being delivered, and in the very near future our five- to 11-year-olds will have a vaccine suitable for them.
The Government has come under scrutiny and criticism, as is expected in an open democracy. The Government must be questioned and held to account, no matter the politics involved. Listening to or reading some commentators, it is clear that the criticisms are made with the benefit of hindsight.
It is easy to pull policies and decisions to bits when we look back at how some issues played out and some did not. Trying to score these easy points makes the questioners' cases very suspect. The points are being sought just for political gain and for the sake of criticising this government.