New Zealand lockdown-Over the top?

[Jollygoodfellow]

New Zealand has been covid -19 free for 102 days but now has 4 cases within one family so they go into lockdown country wide. Is this necessary? Wouldn't it be better just to isolate the family and anyone who may of been in contact.

Seems to me an over the top reaction.  And then of course as soon as the announcement was finished being read on TV the panic buying already began. 

Perhaps Geoff could crunch some numbers  And Onmyway can produce a graph  lol

Coronavirus: Panic buying breaks out in Auckland within hours of New Zealand lockdown announcement

Panic buying appears to have broken out in Auckland as New Zealand's largest city prepares to re-enter a snap stage three lockdown after the country's first coronavirus cases in more than 100 days.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed the four new cases in an emergency update tonight and said the nation is prepared to fight the outbreak.She had barely finished addressing the nation when photos and videos were posted online showing long queues snaking out of Auckland supermarkets and shoppers' trolleys packed high with items.
One disturbing video shows people after apparently ripping open the doors of a Countdown supermarket when security tried to control the number of people rushing in.
"That woman is saying she needs food for her kid. This ain't it Auckland," TVNZ's Matt Manukia wrote alongside the footage he posted on Twitter.

Ms Ardern made her announcement just before 9.30pm local time (7.30pm AEST).Large groups of people were spotted inside a Countdown supermarket in Grey Lynn, while around 200 people were queued along the street outside the Quay Street store in the centre of Auckland.
Other images shared to social media appeared to show shoppers lining up outside different retail stores, car parks packed with vehicles, and cars queuing along busy roads.

Auckland's lockdown will begin from midday on Wednesday, with residents required to stay home other than for essential movements, such as going to the supermarket or for local exercise.
Social distancing rules will also be strictly required, while employees will need to work from home unless it is not possible and businesses can stay open but are not allowed to physically interact with customers at all.
Public venues including libraries, museums, cinemas, food courts, gyms, pools, playgrounds and markets will all close as soon as the lockdown begins.Weddings, funerals and tangihanga — a traditional Maori funeral ceremony — can only be held with groups of up to 10 people who are physically distanced.
Healthcare will be limited to virtual, online consultations where possible and inter-regional travel will only be allowed for essential workers.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/new-zealand-coronavirus-panic-buying-auckland-stage-three-lockdown-restrictions-news-covid19-cases/38f091c5-6a06-435d-976f-f59ae4c4b6b6

[OnMyWay]

That's crazy!

[Balisidar]

Sounds a bit over the top to me.  I wonder if they've done any contact tracing before they announced this?

[Jollygoodfellow]

7 minutes ago, Balisidar said:

Sounds a bit over the top to me.  I wonder if they've done any contact tracing before they announced this?

Probably to busy organising a press conference and to ruin the economy to worry about trivial things like that 

[Mike J]

On the other hand. 

A certain president of a famous country once said; “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”

Or the president of the country in second place: 

"Reopening commerce is a risk I run because, if it (the virus) gets worse, then it lands in my lap," he said. 

Less than two weeks later, as Brazil's death toll blew past 5,000, he told reporters, "You're not going to put on my lap this count that isn't mine." 

Difficult times for leaders - Damned if you do and damned if you don't. 

 

[RBM]

Surprised they did not go for selective lock down. Still there are also suspected cases in Christchurch......Can see the trans Tasman tunnel vanishing. 

[GeoffH]

They haven't locked down New Zealand just Aukland and they haven't gone back to Stage 4 lockdown which they used during the first wave, this is only stage 3 and only one city. 

The problem with lockdowns is you really need to go hard and go early or you might as well not bother (see Melbourne for an example of what happens when you go slow and gradually bring in restrictions).

So no I don't think they've gone too hard, New Zealand is a rich country and they can afford another lockdown.

I wish Melbourne had done it when Victorias numbers were as low as Auklands but they waited until they had 50 cases per day before stage 3 and 500 cases per day before stage 4 and Sydney is making the same mistake I suspect.

 

 

 

[Mike J]

2 hours ago, GeoffH said:

They haven't locked down New Zealand just Aukland and they haven't gone back to Stage 4 lockdown which they used during the first wave, this is only stage 3 and only one city. 

The problem with lockdowns is you really need to go hard and go early or you might as well not bother (see Melbourne for an example of what happens when you go slow and gradually bring in restrictions).

So no I don't think they've gone too hard, New Zealand is a rich country and they can afford another lockdown.

I wish Melbourne had done it when Victorias numbers were as low as Auklands but they waited until they had 50 cases per day before stage 3 and 500 cases per day before stage 4 and Sydney is making the same mistake I suspect.

 

 

 

And only supposed to be for three days while they do contact tracing. 

[Snowy79]

I sometimes wonder whether the news we read is the actual truth or dependent on whether the media is behind the Government or not. I know for instance of two countries that are linked yet one is doing it one way and the other is waiting a week or two then copying.  One leader gets savaged in the media and the other walks on water, yet in reality both are doing extremely bad.

[hk blues]

13 minutes ago, Snowy79 said:

I sometimes wonder whether the news we read is the actual truth or dependent on whether the media is behind the Government or not. I know for instance of two countries that are linked yet one is doing it one way and the other is waiting a week or two then copying.  One leader gets savaged in the media and the other walks on water, yet in reality both are doing extremely bad.

I wonder which 2 countries you are talking about, Snowy?