There’s no valid health reason to continue blocking fully vaccinated Kiwis from coming home. Nor is there any logic in continuing with the MIQ policy for the triple vaccinated.
These prohibitions were introduced at a time the world was ignorant about Covid. That’s no longer the case. The civilised world is opening up, accepting the reality that there’s no sensible option other than to live with covid. A hermit existance historically appeals solely to dullards and authoritarian mentalities, the last people one wants to set any agenda.
So too with the willfully unvaccinated. They should not be allowed to hold the public at ransom. They’ve made their absurd decision and can bear the consequences, as indeed they are, most covid deaths being with the unvaccinated. In many such well publicised cases it could be argued that dying has been their sole contribution to society.
As said, the current situation promotes an authoritarian state, far worse than the latter years Muldoon period. That’s not the New Zealand I want to be part of.
Jacinda’s messiah days are well and truly over and should be recognised for what they were, namely crying wolf but doubtless ego-gratifying for her and her side-kicks.
It’s time for grown-ups to be in charge and a return to normality.
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Here, here
Australia too , with its zeal to boot out prominent antivaxxer and world number one tennis player Novax Djokovic , is demonstrating mass irrationality over Covid . The virus is running wild throughout their fear land , as viruses do . One nutbar tennis player more or less isn’t going to bring their society to its knees. Our only protection is vaccines , not borders and MIQ , nor hysterical Souxies .
You mean that wonderful vaccine that stops you from catching and passing it on?
Pray tell, where is this wonderful elixer of which you speak?
Well put Sir. Authoritarian is the one thing Labour does really well.
Sadly, Luxon / Willis / Bishop National are making their point of attack of Jacinda, that THEY would be even more authoritarian.
I think she has opened up enough at this present point of time. We are not in lockdown ; we can travel anywhere we want ; do what we want to do without any restraints. Well we are asked to wear a mask and be vaccinated which is not that onerous. But she has accepted that omicron may affect more and in a shorter period of time. This may put health services under pressure and the greatest threat is at our borders as has been shown already. So it’s a waiting game for a bit longer for those who want to come back home to see how this latest variant evolves
At the outset of Covid, back in April 2020 or so, I remember being absolutely stunned by the mass hysteria. The mainstream media, the government and ordinary citizens simply panicked, and lost any and all semblance of balance and rationality.
I remember searching the media for an alternative viewpoint, but none seemed to exist in “Aotearoa”, until Sir Robert Jones made a post on this blog.
What was a common-sense article actually had a revolutionary feel, given that our corrupt media was censoring out any alternative opinions. Alas, this sad state of affairs with our media continues to this day.
I would like to thank Sir Robert Jones for walking his own step, in a calm and considered way, when most other people were losing their minds. I would have to say that you were 100% correct about Covid, from day one. Very few commentators can justifiably make this claim.
Of course, almost two years later, and the farce continues to roll on, at great cost.
Woe is me…
Isn’t it ridiculous. Persons contracting Covid in NZ can self-isolate with only cursory follow up to see if they obey the rules.
Meanwhile persons from overseas who take a pre departure test and then a test on arrival to show they are Covid negative aren’t allowed to then self-isolate. Meanwhile MIQ isolation stay has been extended, however that is now largely irrelevant as MIQ lottery on hold; if you are in Australia you can’t even participate.
What an absolute disgrace that New Zealanders are prevented from returning home. This government is the worst in my lifetime.
Fully agree with your last sentence. There are three Ministers with half a brain, the rest none at all. Government by what sounds good no matter the unintended consequences and counterproductive outcomes. There is no problem they cannot make worse and have not already done so.
Whatever happened to the “get double vaccinated and you can have summer” promise from Ardern. Yet another one consigned to the bit bin.
Which Grown Ups Sir Bob??? The rest are as woke as JA
A very reasonable view, Sir Bob, the concern I have is that the government, (well, read 4 or 5 “Labour” spokespersons) with a few backroom “scientific” nerds (who one would normally avoid like the plague) and a multitude of media people ( who in the past would have found employment with The Truth) have created a climate of fear- all the better to launch behind the scenes policy, as well as hide astonishing incompetency as far as implementing actions the country actually needs.
Worryingly, as I survey NZ in 2022, the words of Yeats, seem to resonate..
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity”
It’s interesting to consider what type of response health professionals would demonstrate if this omicron variant had been the initial viral infection. Probably just a warning that this year’s flu season was very infectious.
And yes, the lockdown is insane. Here I am in Victoria unable to fly over to see my parents in CHCH. Triple vaccinated etc. If I want to go to Europe via Singapore that’s fine. But NZ? More fool me I suppose.
I’m not sure where the ‘most covid deaths are from the unvaccinated’ comes from. Have a feeling it includes 2020 when all the deaths were unvaccinated. As ‘vaccination’ is now not seen as nothing more than mitigating the symptoms, which plenty of other available drugs can do(won’t mention them for fear of the censors:) it seems that the important thing is that people coming in are simply tested for covid. Whether the MIQ system is necessary I have no idea (possible not as many celebs seems to have been able to skip it) but vaccination status seems more of a party membership thing.
I love reading your columns as they are one of the only people that can make me openly laugh. I would love to know where you get your strong conviction on Vaccines other than perhaps a personal ploy given you are now bloody old. I sit in a spot where I saw this all unfold with tens of thousands of cases. A lot more catch and die of Covid now after the vaccines than in the beginning but personal experience is that it’s only those knocking on the door. Let grown ups be grown ups, make their own decisions and move freely I say vax or no vax