Quote (Nibthebarb @ Jan 23 2022 11:08am)

A very important factor that folks don't take into account nearly enough. I can't help but say it's quite a purposeful omission when they make correlative comparisons between small mostly homogeneous countries like Denmark and massive multi-ethnic empires like the US. As if it's the exact same administrative environment.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Jan 23 2022 11:51am)

Auckland, which accounts for over one third of New Zealand's entire population, spent something like 6+ months in hard lockdowns since March 20, plus times with significant restrictions below the lockdown level on top. The country's borders had to be almost hermetically sealed off for two years and the country's sizeable tourism industry is in shambles. Compared with Europe or North America, New Zealand had more days with minimal restrictions, but also more days with hard lockdowns and stay-at-home orders. From a social and economic point of view, it's not as clear-cut that their approach was a winner compared to that of, say, South Korea or Japan. And mind you that we're talking about an isolated, low density island. New Zealand's approach would have been a gigantic failure if tried in the EU or NA.

But that's all besides the point anyway. No need to squabble over the past. The point is that it should be a no brainer that the handling of covid must change once a country has fully vaccinated its entire eligible population like NZ. Even more so when the dominant variant is significantly milder than previous strains. It genuinely baffles my mind that places like NZ or Samoa still stick with these policies in the current situation.

Quote (NetflixAdaptationWidow @ 23 Jan 2022 20:18)

So NZ took an approach that worked out very well for them considering their circumstances that allowed them to have more open days than everybody else and is now criticized as being tyranical.

lol k

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Jan 23 2022 01:24pm)

Come on, don't act dense just to troll. First, they took an approach that gave them less open days than more densely populated, more internationally connected South Korea and Japan. Second, even if their approach might have been the right one for them from March 2020 until the vaccination campaign wrapped up, this does not have to mean that this approach still makes sense now, under much different circumstances.

Keeping up restrictions of fundamental rights after the justification for these restrictions has become obsolete is of course tyrannical.

Quote (NetflixAdaptationWidow @ 23 Jan 2022 20:27)

It's a value judgement. The people of New Zealand had a highly successful campaign to do exactly what they set out to do. Just because they don't follow your definitions doesn't mean they are wrong to do so. They just seem to value human life and therefore the right to life more than the Western world.

Quote (NetflixAdaptationWidow @ Jan 23 2022 02:27pm)

It's a value judgement. The people of New Zealand had a highly successful campaign to do exactly what they set out to do. Just because they don't follow your definitions doesn't mean they are wrong to do so. They just seem to value human life and therefore the right to life more than the Western world.

Quote (CyrusTheGreat @ Jan 23 2022 01:45pm)

Hello!

In all fairness, New Zealand isn't really a true comparison to the United States based on size difference alone.

New Zealand has a population of just over 5 million in total.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Jan 23 2022 01:37pm)

Oh please. Ardern doesn't have the guts to pivot like they did in Australia or other countries, that's all there really is to it. She's exposing her people to unneeded restrictions to maintain her brand and to rule out political tail risk for herself.
Also, I doubt that their campaign set out to keep the country closed to the world and under heavy restrictions even months after the eligible population was fully vaccinated.

Quote (NetflixAdaptationWidow @ Jan 23 2022 02:52pm)

I wasnt comparing them.

You should work on your reading comprehension. It will save you wasted typing

Quote (CyrusTheGreat @ Jan 23 2022 01:55pm)

Well, I would have to push back on that in all fairness.