New Zealand reinstates coronavirus restrictions | Hacker News Reader

New Zealand reinstates coronavirus restrictions

cnn.com

Yeah was wondering why they were so self-congratulatory when they were trumpeting their 0-cases. Either they're missing them (not testing, etc), or they're on hold for more. Pandemic ain't anywhere near being over.

Additionally, the NZ is like 5 million people in a highly isolated island; they have it on easy-mode compared to NYC, which is centrally located and has north of 20 million souls in the greater NYC area.

Did you read this article? There are now 4 cases (all in one family), after 102 days without any. They are reinstating restrictions for 3 days so authorities can properly do contact tracing.

Of course pandemic isn't over, but I think some level of self congratulation is appropriate.

There are a total of four detected cases, with no known ties to any obvious potential source of infection like overseas travel, border enforcement, isolation facilities or anything like that, after 102 days without any. Covid-19 cases don't just spontaneously generate - they had to catch it from someone. Which implies there is some unknown number of undetected infections out there spreading for an as-yet-undetermined amount of time during the 102-day period where no cases were detected. This is not a good sign and definitely calls into question the self-congratulation. I suspect their PM knows this.

(I've also heard claims that their testing numbers were quite low during the period when zero cases were reported. Didn't get any mainstream media coverage, but stuff which doesn't fit the narrative generally doesn't.)

Yeah the message was always to get tested if you had any symptoms but that may not have always happened in practice. There was sentinel testing of border workers, but not widespread testing of the asymptomatic public.

If they can’t definitively contact-trace the origin of this family’s infection, then we’re probably going to have to lock down for two transmission cycles, ~4 weeks. That would be disappointing and difficult. We’re in the middle of an election campaign cycle right now, so I hope that doesn’t strain our unity.

If there was trumpeting (which would be unusual for kiwis - our culture has tall-poppy syndrome. Some quiet smugness would be more usual) then it was for “going hard” and then having months of zero cases. Our lockdown was one of the strictest in the world, yet had pretty damn high compliance. The proudness we felt was that “team New Zealand” had achieved something difficult, and with some grace.

Now we have a new cluster the original message is only reinforced —- we go hard and early and get back to zero ASAP. A sports team doesn’t think you only have to win one match. (Another pathology of Kiwi culture is framing everything through sports metaphors).

As for having it in easy-mode, you’re absolutely right. We’re lucky in many ways, COVID-related and otherwise.

One thing that will remain difficult is that our economy had a pretty large tourism sector, so deciding to have completely closed borders (to non-citizens, essentially) isn’t an easy choice.

it was a pat on the back for having quashed the initial curve. tourism was the top contributor to the economy, and cases would obviously appear as the borders will have to open up again eventually. it was always expected.

Tourism? How? Inbound flights require a 14 day quarantine. What tourist will accept that?

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