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New Zealand extends Auckland lockdown as virus cluster grows

35 Comments
By NICK PERRY

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35 Comments
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Yep, lockdown level 3 in Auckland and level 2 for the rest of the country confirmed until Wednesday 26th.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

@Larr Flint. What lockdown are you referring to in Japan? We never had one. Please clarify what you mean.

Correction - New Zealand appeared great at dealing with the Virus. It turns out not. The current small cluster has been identified as a different strain OR a possible mutation. Their lockdown was too harsh and they actually cannot afford to reinstate it. The Central Bank admitted as much this morning. Filipino Government admitting same thing - the lockdown will have to finish at its current end date. The world can take no more lockdowns or are we are heading to something FAR worse that could eclipse both post WW1 and WW2 depressions and the great depression of 1928.

The virus is everywhere, get used to it and get used to learn to live with it for a long while yet.

4 ( +15 / -11 )

Correction - New Zealand appeared great at dealing with the Virus. It turns out not. 

What a ridiculous statement.

-8 ( +7 / -15 )

It's not a ridiclous statement at all. More lives will be at risk from the coming surge in unemployment and economic depression than will be from the virus should they enter a further protracted lockdown. Have you looked at the countries in Europe that endured hard lockdowns? The infection rate is creeping up again yet no return to lockdown - in fact in the UK more businesses have been given permission to re-open.

Hence - Lockdown doesn't work and just ruins a generation of lives.

1 ( +14 / -13 )

Hence - Lockdown doesn't work and just ruins a generation of lives.

You use the word 'hence', but you didn't prove the point that follows with the text that precedes.

-3 ( +9 / -12 )

theResident, I think you've got it completely wrong. The fact they did a successful, and yes, a harsh lockdown meant they have been able to operate businesses at 100% for 102 days. That's why the economy recovered, confidence returned along with the stockmarket and NZ dollar reaching 6-months highs, and unemployment of only around 5%. And now they only have a mere handful of cases to deal with rather than tens of thousands. Far better IMO than in Japan with increasing cases, business confidence sliding and many smaller businesses struggling by with no end in sight. The cost of a short lockdown is lower in the long term. Wait another 3-6 months to see. As for NZ can't afford another lockdown, utter nonsense - it is not comparable to the Philippines. They only thing I agree with you on is a great depression could happen, probably next year.

9 ( +19 / -10 )

 Correction - New Zealand appeared great at dealing with the Virus. It turns out not. 

The implication of this statement is because new cases have been discovered after 102 days of no cases, NZ has not done a great job managing the virus. It could of been 6 months and I suspect you would still say the same thing. The fact is, they have done great job - perfect no, but compared to almost any other nation, and any relevant measurement, they have.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

Have you looked at the countries in Europe that endured hard lockdowns? 

Yes, I check the figures every day for the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain in particular ( I’m from the UK and have close relatives and coworkers in those countries ).

The infection rate is creeping up again yet no return to lockdown - in fact in the UK more businesses have been given permission to re-open

The infection figures are nowhere near the numbers we saw earlier in the year when the health services of these countries were being put under enormous strain. The UK figures look to have stabilized for now. Johnson and Sturgeon haven’t ruled out reimposing restrictions if the numbers balloon. Check out Sturgeon’s reaction to the recent Aberdeen cluster.

Hence - Lockdown doesn't work and just ruins a generation of lives.

The lockdowns were imposed to avoid a overwhelming influx of sick patients at one time. This ‘worked’.

We’ve been in agreement regarding some of the more hysterical posters on here regarding Covid and lockdowns, but let’s not throw nuance and accuracy out of the window here.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

People keep talking about the damage to the economy during a lockdown, but in NZ at least some economists are saying that lockdowns are better than not doing it.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300082211/do-the-health-gains-of-lockdown-20-outweigh-economic-pain

1 ( +4 / -3 )

The company mentioned, "Americold", is a US company based in Atlanta, Georgia, US,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americold

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Until the cluster was discovered Tuesday, New Zealand had gone 102 days without infections spreading in the community. 

That was what they thought, but it is now known to have been untrue. Those infected reported having symptoms in late July, and they didn't get the virus from nowhere.

our economy was getting going faster than almost anywhere else

Was... and even then, the tourism sector wasn't getting going faster at all.

Reality has arrived, in the Land of the Lots of Hugs.

Still, it's good that they are trying to stamp out this cluster... but I just can't see it happening, given the virus can be transmitted weeks before symptoms are felt.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The fact they did a successful, and yes, a harsh lockdown meant they have been able to operate businesses at 100% for 102 days.

With a very soft lockdown

Okinawa went two months without a recorded case

Oita 70 days

Miyaki 55 days

So basically a hardlock vs a soft request to stay home resulted in at best 30 extra days without a case.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Yeah, comparing NZ to Okinawa, Oita and Miyaki is fair comparison. Not.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@noun6976

Why not ?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

carpslidy... if you’re going to pick and choose the regions like that it doesn’t work in your favor. Most regions in NZ are still zero cases since the end of the initial lockdown.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Okinawa went two months without a recorded case

Oita 70 days

Miyaki 55 days

So basically a hardlock vs a soft request to stay home resulted in at best 30 extra days without a case.

Getting tested was extremely difficult during the first phase than now so there is a question mark on the zero cases. I bet you, testing had reduced to single digits in the places you listed.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

NZ did 30,000 tests in one 24 hour period to gather vital information on the spread of the virus.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Ardern’s strategy - the very definition of madness

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Ardern’s strategy - the very definition of madness

I don’t know what the definition of madness is, but I don’t think high levels of support among people of NZ for her strategy is a good indicator of mental derangement.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300082211/do-the-health-gains-of-lockdown-20-outweigh-economic-pain

Of course it’s an NZ link

Try this one for perspective

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/business-52901560

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

“Best we can do on personal level seems to be donning tbe mask”

Jury is still out on that. Agree on sanitizing, avoiding big crowds.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

“I don’t know what the definition of madness is, but I don’t think high levels of support among people of NZ for her strategy is a good indicator of mental derangement.”

Sooner or later the kiwis will get tired of playing whackamole

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

nonu6976Today  07:48 pm JST

Yeah, comparing NZ to Okinawa, Oita and Miyaki is fair comparison。not

Why, all are small rural prefectures much like nz.

A better example may be Hokkaido

again soft state of emergency, 100 deaths. So nz went through a hard lockdown as is in semi lockdown again and as as a result has prolonged the lifes of 80 elderly people. If that sounds like a good idea power to you, to me it sounds like madness.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

@drlucifer

> Getting tested was extremely difficult during the first phase than now so there is a question mark on the zero cases. I bet you, testing had reduced to single digits in the places you listed

Testing in nz also dropped significantly may- august

Furthermore if you have to activly seek out cases, it begs to question were those cases serious enough to warrent being found.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

I agree Hokkaido may be the best example as its population is comparable and area itself is separate from the main island.

Hyogo and Fukouka are also of comparable 5M population.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Of course it’s an NZ link 

Well, an article about NZ with some NZ economists talking about the effect of lockdowns in NZ is probably going to come from a NZ website.

Try this one for perspective 

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/business-52901560

I’m not sure the point. We know lockdowns are bad for an economy in the short term. That article just shows Australia’s economy got worse after an already bad start to the year. It says nothing to oppose the view of the economists in the link I provided.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I hope they find the source so more will be understood about transmission. You can't protect against it without facts.

A 0.3% drop in NZ GDP is nowhere near the 33% drop in the USA or about 12% across the EU.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

you want to stop the spread of a virus, you need to find people who have it, and prevent them from possibly infecting others

I personally I believe the only solution is to regularly test high risk groups and those that have regular contact with them.

The idea the virus can or must be eliminated is no longer true.

The japanese governments policy of living with corona and selective testing appears to be successful in keeping deaths low. I hope this remains so.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

“If you want to stop the spread of a virus, you need to find people who have it, “

This will slow, but not stop the virus. There is no permanence to stopping the virus.

The economic damage isn’t to be sneezed at either

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Jimizo

The lockdowns were imposed to avoid a overwhelming influx of sick patients at one time. This ‘worked’.

Exactly. The only point of the lockdowns was to flatten the curve, i.e. avoiding overloading hospitals. Many people, even politicians, seem to to have assumed that the virus somehow would go away when you lock everything down. That, of course is nonsense.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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