Zero Cases Today in NZ but ....

[WiseMonkey]

This is the first day there has been zero confirmed new case in New Zealand but this is not the end of Covid19's very, very long tail. The Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield acknowledges that there could be other cases arise, but the critical issue is that they can be traced to existing cases or clusters. So far extensive community testing has revealed no cases of Covid19 and the testing continues ...

We are currently now at Alert Level 3 (after being at Level 4 lockdown for 5 weeks) and may be moving to Alert Level 2 after next week, depending on how many new Covid19 cases arise and how well people are continuing to practice social distancing. I must admit, dropping levels is rather scary!!

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...ectid=12329400

[MyNameIsTerry]

It's still a positive milestone for you guys and worth celebrating. It's bound to go up & down but if it's within expected tolerances you've got stability at a low level and a good trend showing it's well contained. And I hope it stays low for you.

It's a light at the end of the tunnel we are eagerly waiting for and it gives us hope seeing other countries pull through it. And our lot can learn from other governments rather than keep reinventing the wheel.

[WiseMonkey]

Yes, this comes at the 17th day of having single digit numbers of new cases so seeing a 0 has been worth the wait. Personally I'd like to see 0 for two weeks before moving down a level. I know Queensland (a northern state of Australia) is seeing a very similar pattern to NZ. Going hard and early has certainly paid off for us so far and we hope it continues that way

The PM talked more about it this afternoon https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...ectid=12329479

[fishman65]

I think that's a brilliant achievement from you guys WM!! Like Terry says it gives the rest of us hope, something we could do with right now here in a very uncertain UK.

[Carys]

I'd be the same as you WM, I'd want longer with 0...a month or so LOL, I can understand the concerns about dropping levels entirely.

[WiseMonkey]

I'd be the same as you WM, I'd want longer with 0...a month or so LOL, I can understand the concerns about dropping levels entirely.

We have a prominent psychologist Nigel Latta and he says it's perfectly natural for us to feel anxious when dropping levels, after being in lockdown. He also says its much better to be cautious than gung-ho. It's also the fear of going backwards and ending back at Level 4 (lockdown). On Thursday our PM will give more information of what happens at Level 2.

At present our daily highlight is watching the General Director of Health and PM give their updates

[Fishmanpa]

You're fortunate to have a Prime Minister that many other leaders could learn from.

Positive thoughts

[WiseMonkey]

You're fortunate to have a Prime Minister that many other leaders could learn from. Positive thoughts

Yes our PM Jacinda Ardern is receiving accolades from many other countries and we are very proud of her and what she's helped us achieve during this time. I'm a long standing Labour (left) supporter and IMO she's one of the best PM's we've had and undoubtedly the best person to take charge in a national crisis. Credit also goes our Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield who's intelligence, expertise and foresight are next to none ... they make a dynamic duo

We have a voting system here called MMP (mixed member proportional representation) https://elections.nz/democracy-in-nz/what-is-mmp/ and in the 2017 election Labour got in by the skin of their teeth (with the help of another party). There are elections coming up in September so I'm hoping our PM will have a second term in office, if elections were held today, I know she would. Due to her performance (and high profile) during this pandemic, a lot of National supporters have switched parties. She's very popular among the younger voters, being only 39 herself.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12329587

PS. our second day of zero confirmed cases (05/05/2020)

[MyNameIsTerry]

I like the ability to vote for the party and separately for a candidate. What I don't like is party lists as, certainly over here, all that would do is stuff cronies into Parliament with no say by the electorate (which is what we already see when it comes to forming a government) and it would lead to vote rigging (not that we don't see this here under the use of Whips and manipulation of candidates to stand) as only party yes men would be voting for change. Plus party members can be completely at odds with their own voters (see our own Labour).

In a more honest society it's a good system. Which means it will never work with our politicians

Do you think they will hold the vote this close to all this? It's good for her as right now she is a very figure. But do you think there will be negative economic fallout to come which she might be, potentially unfairly, tainted by?

NZ do look to have done an outstanding job though. I would agree about wanting more zero days yet before committing to change but it does appear you guys are leading on the way out of all this.

I think we are in this for a longer haul. The economic damage is largely secondary right now but as the months pass by and peak seasons are missed people are going to go under. I wonder how this will be reduced and how we will even pay for it in years to come.

[WiseMonkey]

There's definitely going to be an economic down turn here in NZ but maybe not as bad as some other countries. The PM has reiterated this many times, that by doing the hard yards to begin with, we'd come out quicker and the recovery would be easier. The govt. has paid out billions (through the reserve bank) to support workers and businesses during the lockdown period, paying 80% of their wage. Tourism will take a big hit as it makes up a significant portion of the economy and many businesses like restaurants and pubs (linked to tourism) will go under. On the plus side NZ is a large food producer so we can feed our nation and provide for others. I think we will see more small businesses spring up with local support.
The PM is already in talks with the Australian PM about creating a trans- Tasman- bubble, where we can share trade and tourism, this is in the future and will take a lot of negotiating as Australia has 6 separate states all doing their own thing!

I'm sure there will be the usual National party attack dogs out in force as election time draws near. She (PM) has been asked about whether the election date will be shifted and she's said she's focused on eliminating Covid19 at present. I've heard nothing from the National Party on this subject either. Their leader Simon Bridges (who's a new candidate) has a habit of saying some right things but at the wrong time, he certainly hasn't got the force of personally the PM has. Jacinda Ardern previously worked as a researcher in Helen Clark's office (NZ Labour PM 1997-2008) so has a wealth of experience.

Yes, I think Britain will be in for a much longer haul, also the US and many European countries, especially if they get a second wave of Covid19. It's pretty certain there will be a world wide recession even if there is a vaccine available within 18 months. Scary times, but hopefully some positive changes will come out of this mess