New Zealand says coronavirus 'eliminated' and life can resume without restrictions

[stephenterry]

My congratulations to NZ for containing the virus. A zero infection rate is marvelous news. 

[Captain Monday]

47 minutes ago, Logosone said:

No, of course we don't know that. We don't know because Thailand has done hardly any testing, so it's simply impossible to know how many people died of Covid19 in Thailand.

 

The notion that hospitals are automatically "overrun" in countries with Covid19 is simply wrong. 

 

The hospitalisation rate for Covid 19 in one of the worst affected countries, the USA, was 4.6 per 100,000.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6915e3.htm

 

It is of course even lower in a country with a younger population. One wouldn't necessarily notice Covid19 by hospitalisations.

 

Of course Japan is a similar story, hardly any testing done there either. So we just don't know the extent of Covid19 in Japan, just like with Thailand. They didn't do mandatory lockdowns either in Japan, people still went to party in nightclubs in April when the West was locked down.

 

But of course if you don't test it will look like there's hardly any cases, certainly.

You are right about the testing, It is easy to surmise there is an underreporting conspiracy,  but then were are the bodies?

Tokyo reported lower mortality this year in the 3 months through March compared to Last year even with Covid.

Suicides down, accidents down. If there was a spike of death in Thailand it would not be easy to hide the surge in 3 day funerals

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/05/12/national/tokyo-overall-mortality-data-shows-no-surge-deaths-pandemic/#.Xt8FjC2cZz8

 

I have been in Japan since April 1. No complete lockdowns, I went out to eat every night, some I did takeout. 

They made a lot of the same mistakes as the US. How can we explain the mass death comparatively?

I think it has something to do with the masks, and the fact that most people 

did co-operate with government suggestions to stay home, under no force of law.

Golden week travel was down 95 percent.

Streets where I am were empty, for weeks.  

People were socially shamed from visiting nearby towns and some restaurants would only serve locals.

Though there were always a few places open even dine in, and bars. 

Where I can affirm that people got drunk,  and talked loud in strangers faces.

[Dap]

Well done!

[johnpetersen]

2 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

You are right about the testing, It is easy to surmise there is an underreporting conspiracy,  but then were are the bodies?

Tokyo reported lower mortality this year in the 3 months through March compared to Last year even with Covid.

Suicides down, accidents down. If there was a spike of death in Thailand it would not be easy to hide the surge in 3 day funerals

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/05/12/national/tokyo-overall-mortality-data-shows-no-surge-deaths-pandemic/#.Xt8FjC2cZz8

 

I have been in Japan since April 1. No complete lockdowns, I went out to eat every night, some I did takeout. 

They made a lot of the same mistakes as the US. How can we explain the mass death comparatively?

I think it has something to do with the masks, and the fact that most people 

did co-operate with government suggestions to stay home, under no force of law.

Golden week travel was down 95 percent.

Streets where I am were empty, for weeks.  

People were socially shamed from visiting nearby towns and some restaurants would only serve locals.

Though there were always a few places open even dine in, and bars. 

Where I can affirm that people got drunk,  and talked loud in strangers faces.

You're quite right. Assertions about Japan possibly hiding Covid-19 are obviously absurd. Maybe if Japan were like North Korea it might be possible to hide all the repercussions that a serious Covid outbreak would cause. Even Vietnam, far less free than Japan, has tens of thousand of foreighers living in the country. Including people from the media. It's simply not possible to hide the kind of evidence that would indicate a major Covid presence. We know this because is countries like Russia, that deny such an outbreak, there are long waiting lines to get into hospitals. Nicaragua is another case of denial even though it has lost several top government officials to the disease.

[Roadman]

16 hours ago, samran said:

Indeed. I suspect it as was Jack Adrern rather than Jacinda , people would be a lot less critical. Her opponents attempted to paint her as young and inexperienced, and she's passed two massive national challenges with flying colours.

 

Now she has done so, they'll try and lessen that achievement with whataboutisms about border issyes, and statements such as 'it is only 5 million people'.  

Absolute rubbish. Get of your Cindy rah rah platform and have a look at the reality. Yes Covid has been contained the same as many other island nations like us. The big difference is to get that result our economy has been trashed to the extent of being twice the damage of other relative nations like your own Aussie and Japan. Prior to Covid our economy was nose diving under her governments and her clueless leadership. Instead of listening to the Cindy female media rah rah team in this country who have led her promotion on the back of photo shoots in her hijab and being kind, come into the real world where we have been destroyed economically by her and her inept leadership and inept coalition of clowns. This is going to cost us $200 billion which for a small economy like us is big money without the natural resoures like Aussie has or the industry and technology like Japan has to get us out of trouble. She has promoted a wave of fear here that has seen people afraid, on the back of her lies of going hard and early bullcrap, which she didnt do at all as Kiwis have been pouring back into the country without enforced 14 day isolation well into full lockdown. And her and her coalition of losers have been throwing money around like drunken sailors, which is fine with her supporters as it is now up to us working tax payers to pay our way out of this absolute balls up that did not need to happen. The country did not have to be in lockdown at all if the borders had been closed, returning Kiwis forced to self isolate, and risk areas like the old and health adverse lockdown protected. Instead we now have this debt being loaded on our younger generations and her voters happy with all the money being thrown at them who will vote the clueless idiot back in with the upcoming elections. That is going to cost us big time as between the lot of these clowns there is no depth of economics or bussiness sense. But hey the citizens are happy as they get the message of be kind is all is needed to be a great leader and the money from the magic money trees pours into their accounts. 

[i84teen]

Its eliminated until it returns.

Intellectually incoherent people make "tupid" comments

[Kiwiken]

19 hours ago, Logosone said:

Yes, not testing at all certainly results in low numbers. Great job.

Where do you get the no tsting ascertion from. Do you have facts and figures. I think not

[Catkiwi]

1 hour ago, Roadman said:

Absolute rubbish. Get of your Cindy rah rah platform and have a look at the reality. Yes Covid has been contained the same as many other island nations like us. The big difference is to get that result our economy has been trashed to the extent of being twice the damage of other relative nations like your own Aussie and Japan. Prior to Covid our economy was nose diving under her governments and her clueless leadership. Instead of listening to the Cindy female media rah rah team in this country who have led her promotion on the back of photo shoots in her hijab and being kind, come into the real world where we have been destroyed economically by her and her inept leadership and inept coalition of clowns. This is going to cost us $200 billion which for a small economy like us is big money without the natural resoures like Aussie has or the industry and technology like Japan has to get us out of trouble. She has promoted a wave of fear here that has seen people afraid, on the back of her lies of going hard and early bullcrap, which she didnt do at all as Kiwis have been pouring back into the country without enforced 14 day isolation well into full lockdown. And her and her coalition of losers have been throwing money around like drunken sailors, which is fine with her supporters as it is now up to us working tax payers to pay our way out of this absolute balls up that did not need to happen. The country did not have to be in lockdown at all if the borders had been closed, returning Kiwis forced to self isolate, and risk areas like the old and health adverse lockdown protected. Instead we now have this debt being loaded on our younger generations and her voters happy with all the money being thrown at them who will vote the clueless idiot back in with the upcoming elections. That is going to cost us big time as between the lot of these clowns there is no depth of economics or bussiness sense. But hey the citizens are happy as they get the message of be kind is all is needed to be a great leader and the money from the magic money trees pours into their accounts. 

I hope you feel better now after that rant Mate! Go and take a couple of aspirin and have an afternoon Nana nap. ????

[samran]

5 hours ago, Roadman said:

Absolute rubbish. Get of your Cindy rah rah platform and have a look at the reality. Yes Covid has been contained the same as many other island nations like us. The big difference is to get that result our economy has been trashed to the extent of being twice the damage of other relative nations like your own Aussie and Japan. Prior to Covid our economy was nose diving under her governments and her clueless leadership. Instead of listening to the Cindy female media rah rah team in this country who have led her promotion on the back of photo shoots in her hijab and being kind, come into the real world where we have been destroyed economically by her and her inept leadership and inept coalition of clowns. This is going to cost us $200 billion which for a small economy like us is big money without the natural resoures like Aussie has or the industry and technology like Japan has to get us out of trouble. She has promoted a wave of fear here that has seen people afraid, on the back of her lies of going hard and early bullcrap, which she didnt do at all as Kiwis have been pouring back into the country without enforced 14 day isolation well into full lockdown. And her and her coalition of losers have been throwing money around like drunken sailors, which is fine with her supporters as it is now up to us working tax payers to pay our way out of this absolute balls up that did not need to happen. The country did not have to be in lockdown at all if the borders had been closed, returning Kiwis forced to self isolate, and risk areas like the old and health adverse lockdown protected. Instead we now have this debt being loaded on our younger generations and her voters happy with all the money being thrown at them who will vote the clueless idiot back in with the upcoming elections. That is going to cost us big time as between the lot of these clowns there is no depth of economics or bussiness sense. But hey the citizens are happy as they get the message of be kind is all is needed to be a great leader and the money from the magic money trees pours into their accounts. 

Another one who’d rather people drop dead, lose their homes and not able to feed their families all in the name of not racking up ‘debt’. 

Of course if they let the virus rip it isn’t that people would have gone about their business. They’d still have stayed home (in fear) but with overloaded hospitals and people dying to boot. The aftermath would be a messy return to ‘normality’, if that was even possible. 

 

I guess being the first western economy to fully reopen with little restriction, something that provides business certainly for all involved isn’t good enough for the whingers. 

 

 

 

 

[Kiwiken]

On 6/9/2020 at 12:17 AM, J Town said:

Yeah, borders being closed can hardly be considered resumed life without restrictions.

Life within NZ is back to normal. Borders are closed until We are sure We are not allowing People in Carrying the virus. That is prudent. Our Bubble is secure

[thaibeachlovers]

On 6/8/2020 at 11:50 PM, J Town said:

Yeah . . . until the visitors from outside the country start bringing it back in.

True.

They already apparently had a California film crew arrive to make the sequel to Avatar and were not, from reports, isolated properly before entering quarantine.

 

The only way to keep 100% Corona free is to allow no one, except citizens with appropriate quarantine, in till the magic vaccine is available in sufficient quantities or for ever. Of course that would be impossible and eventually, IMO, they will have to admit defeat, isolate the at risk and allow normal life to start again, except it won't be normal for all those that lost their livelihoods.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, samran said:

Another one who’d rather people drop dead, lose their homes and not able to feed their families all in the name of not racking up ‘debt’. 

Of course if they let the virus rip it isn’t that people would have gone about their business. They’d still have stayed home (in fear) but with overloaded hospitals and people dying to boot. The aftermath would be a messy return to ‘normality’, if that was even possible. 

 

I guess being the first western economy to fully reopen with little restriction, something that provides business certainly for all involved isn’t good enough for the whingers. 

 

 

 

 

You don't know that any of that would have happened. What HAS happened is that a lot of people don't have jobs anymore.

[thaibeachlovers]

16 hours ago, Roadman said:

Absolute rubbish. Get of your Cindy rah rah platform and have a look at the reality. Yes Covid has been contained the same as many other island nations like us. The big difference is to get that result our economy has been trashed to the extent of being twice the damage of other relative nations like your own Aussie and Japan. Prior to Covid our economy was nose diving under her governments and her clueless leadership. Instead of listening to the Cindy female media rah rah team in this country who have led her promotion on the back of photo shoots in her hijab and being kind, come into the real world where we have been destroyed economically by her and her inept leadership and inept coalition of clowns. This is going to cost us $200 billion which for a small economy like us is big money without the natural resoures like Aussie has or the industry and technology like Japan has to get us out of trouble. She has promoted a wave of fear here that has seen people afraid, on the back of her lies of going hard and early bullcrap, which she didnt do at all as Kiwis have been pouring back into the country without enforced 14 day isolation well into full lockdown. And her and her coalition of losers have been throwing money around like drunken sailors, which is fine with her supporters as it is now up to us working tax payers to pay our way out of this absolute balls up that did not need to happen. The country did not have to be in lockdown at all if the borders had been closed, returning Kiwis forced to self isolate, and risk areas like the old and health adverse lockdown protected. Instead we now have this debt being loaded on our younger generations and her voters happy with all the money being thrown at them who will vote the clueless idiot back in with the upcoming elections. That is going to cost us big time as between the lot of these clowns there is no depth of economics or bussiness sense. But hey the citizens are happy as they get the message of be kind is all is needed to be a great leader and the money from the magic money trees pours into their accounts. 

That's the only emoji I can find that comes close to my opinion of your 5* post.

[metisdead]

An off topic post about abortion laws and a reply has been removed. 

[JensenZ]

On 6/9/2020 at 6:18 AM, bodga said:

Pop.1.6  million, nothing, its  also in the middle  of  nowhere not  surrounded by other countries, there are a  whole  host of reasons its been easier for them, the Uk has 38  million tourists a  year, NZ  3.7  million

There's more to it than that. It appears to me that NZ took the threat, early on, far more seriously than the UK and imposed the first lockdown measures on March 14 (restricting public gatherings) 2 weeks before the first death was reported on March 29.

[samran]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You don't know that any of that would have happened. What HAS happened is that a lot of people don't have jobs anymore.

All of this is unprecedented - true. But you can’t prove the counter factual either. 
 

What is well known however is that business abhors unpredictability. Now they don’t have the threat of pandemic to worry about, people are free to move around. Your borders are open to trade, and just not people. 
 

Will people suffer still? Sure. But now they have the best chance to get back on their feet without the threat of rolling shutdowns. 

[stupidfarang]

17 hours ago, Roadman said:

Absolute rubbish. Get of your Cindy rah rah platform and have a look at the reality. Yes Covid has been contained the same as many other island nations like us. The big difference is to get that result our economy has been trashed to the extent of being twice the damage of other relative nations like your own Aussie and Japan. Prior to Covid our economy was nose diving under her governments and her clueless leadership. Instead of listening to the Cindy female media rah rah team in this country who have led her promotion on the back of photo shoots in her hijab and being kind, come into the real world where we have been destroyed economically by her and her inept leadership and inept coalition of clowns. This is going to cost us $200 billion which for a small economy like us is big money without the natural resoures like Aussie has or the industry and technology like Japan has to get us out of trouble. She has promoted a wave of fear here that has seen people afraid, on the back of her lies of going hard and early bullcrap, which she didnt do at all as Kiwis have been pouring back into the country without enforced 14 day isolation well into full lockdown. And her and her coalition of losers have been throwing money around like drunken sailors, which is fine with her supporters as it is now up to us working tax payers to pay our way out of this absolute balls up that did not need to happen. The country did not have to be in lockdown at all if the borders had been closed, returning Kiwis forced to self isolate, and risk areas like the old and health adverse lockdown protected. Instead we now have this debt being loaded on our younger generations and her voters happy with all the money being thrown at them who will vote the clueless idiot back in with the upcoming elections. That is going to cost us big time as between the lot of these clowns there is no depth of economics or bussiness sense. But hey the citizens are happy as they get the message of be kind is all is needed to be a great leader and the money from the magic money trees pours into their accounts. 

NZ has done a good job in reducing the corona risk to the public and hats off to the NZ public working to make the containment work. As with any political party leader you will have people who love them or hate them regardless. In every country around the world there will be people who find fault in how a government has handled the coronavirus, this pandemic is a first for me in my 63 years on the planet so like everyone else was in unknown territory. If there were no lockdowns what state would we be in? Also, on the local economic front NZ "The government’s books were in good shape, with one of the lowest debt levels among developed nations at 19% of GDP. The economy was entering a recovery, wages were rising, and the jobless rate was at a decade-low. " https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-17/ardern-eyes-virus-free-haven-as-new-zealand-charts-rapid-rebuild

 

NZ also has one of the most globalised economies and relies on international trade, you mention OZ natural resources as if they are better off, in fact Oz is in trouble as well and their natural resources may not help them at all with China placing tariffs and statements warning students to think twice about going back to University in OZ.

 

A positive point is Australia and NZ are arranging a travel bubble between their two countries which is a first in the world, (good thinking OZ and NZ) now other countries are talking about travel bubbles.

 

There will be a recession, just like in every other country in the world, so not unique to NZ or the fault of Adhern. I also disagree with your "she has promoted a wave of Fear". Adhern has communicated well with NZ'ers in sharing what little info the world had, remember all countries were in the same situation of an unknown pandemic with little information.

 

I have faith in the strength of the New Zealand people pulling together to get through this just like we did in the 70's, so instead of moaning lets work together to find a solution

[thaibeachlovers]

17 minutes ago, stupidfarang said:

I also disagree with your "she has promoted a wave of Fear". Adhern has communicated well with NZ'ers

Only Adhern supporters would think she did a good job. She did indeed rule by threatening severe consequences ( fear ) for not following the rules, but certain elements of NZ population were immune to law enforcement. When asked hard questions never answered.

[thaibeachlovers]

21 minutes ago, stupidfarang said:

I have faith in the strength of the New Zealand people pulling together to get through this just like we did in the 70's, so instead of moaning lets work together to find a solution

The NZ population is 100% different to the 70s, a time when few were "rich" or trendy.

The divide between the haves and the have nots is wide and widening.

 

[yuyiinthesky]

23 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The NZ population is 100% different to the 70s, a time when few were "rich" or trendy.

The divide between the haves and the have nots is wide and widening.

 

And the main and undebatable result of the lockdowns is that this divide between rich and poor is widening. The poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer, while the academics and government employees with their continuing salaries and pensions watch, unhurt by the lockdowns. 

[simple1]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Only Adhern supporters would think she did a good job. She did indeed rule by threatening severe consequences ( fear ) for not following the rules, but certain elements of NZ population were immune to law enforcement. When asked hard questions never answered.

You and your fellow moaners are in the minority.

 

Ardern herself has become the most popular New Zealand prime minister in a century, climbing up 20.8 points to 59.5%. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/19/jacinda-ardern-poll-high-popularity-national-simon-bridges-new-zealand-covid-19

[Sujo]

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You don't know that any of that would have happened. What HAS happened is that a lot of people don't have jobs anymore.

We do know what would happen as we have seen it in countries that didnt act.

 

A lot of people are not dead so they can now look for jobs.

 

perhaps a simple congratulations would suffice.

[Sujo]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Only Adhern supporters would think she did a good job. She did indeed rule by threatening severe consequences ( fear ) for not following the rules, but certain elements of NZ population were immune to law enforcement. When asked hard questions never answered.

I dont support her. I dont care at all about her.

 

What i do know is she relayed facts, listened to experts, took action, solved the problem.

 

It takes a sad person to begrudge a job well done.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, yuyiinthesky said:

while the academics and government employees with their continuing salaries and pensions watch, unhurt by the lockdowns. 

Exactly the thing that is "annoying" people losing their jobs BECAUSE of dictats imposed by said well paid and secure government minions. Up to the minions we'd still be in level 4 lockdown just because. They only backed down, IMO because the population was beginning to rebel against the restrictions.

[thaibeachlovers]

5 minutes ago, Sujo said:

I dont support her. I dont care at all about her.

 

What i do know is she relayed facts, listened to experts, took action, solved the problem.

 

It takes a sad person to begrudge a job well done.

Get back to me in a year or so to see if she did a good job or not. The second wave hasn't even started yet.

[samran]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Exactly the thing that is "annoying" people losing their jobs BECAUSE of dictats imposed by said well paid and secure government minions. Up to the minions we'd still be in level 4 lockdown just because. They only backed down, IMO because the population was beginning to rebel against the restrictions.

Clearly the loosening of the restrictions had nothing to do with the rate of infection going down...

[thaibeachlovers]

14 minutes ago, Sujo said:

We do know what would happen as we have seen it in countries that didnt act.

 

A lot of people are not dead so they can now look for jobs.

 

perhaps a simple congratulations would suffice.

 

What work? Tourism? Airline related? Warehouse? Fletchers?

 

Most of the people ( including me ) that would be dead are too old to be looking for work.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 minutes ago, samran said:

Clearly the loosening of the restrictions had nothing to do with the rate of infection going down...

NZ is free of new cases because of the border closure. Wait till it opens again to see what will happen.

[thaibeachlovers]

29 minutes ago, simple1 said:

You and your fellow moaners are in the minority.

 

Ardern herself has become the most popular New Zealand prime minister in a century, climbing up 20.8 points to 59.5%. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/19/jacinda-ardern-poll-high-popularity-national-simon-bridges-new-zealand-covid-19

I could explain that but it would need a new thread of its own.

[johnpetersen]

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You don't know that any of that would have happened. What HAS happened is that a lot of people don't have jobs anymore.

I'm guessing you believe that New Zealanders are biologically a distinct species from Homo Sapiens. Because lockdowns and such sure worked for them.