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New Zealand’s entry into new lockdown due to the discovery of two delta mutant cases in the past week has sparked much controversy over the feasibility of the “zero cases of Covid-19 disease” policy in the country, according to CNN.
Many countries have praised New Zealand for its effective management of the epidemic crisis so far, with only 26 deaths recorded in a population of five million people, while the vaccination campaign is still slow in New Zealand with only about 20% of the population fully vaccinated. .
National Party spokesman Chris Bishop said the new wave of the epidemic pointed to gaps in the government’s work on the vaccination campaign, especially due to supply difficulties.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had ordered the country shut down after two cases of the delta mutant were discovered and with broad support from the country’s political circles, but after ten days of closure the disease spread to 347 people on Friday. . , including one in intensive care.
Questions about “zero covid”
This spread of the delta mutant has raised questions about whether the attempt to eradicate transmission in the community – known as the ‘zero COVID-19’ strategy, still makes sense in a world where the strain has become so widespread.
In this regard, the minister in charge of the “Covid-19” dossier, Chris Hepkins, told TVNZ, “Delta does not look like any mutation that we have seen since the start of the epidemic”.
“This changes everything, and it means that all of our current measures seem less appropriate, which raises questions about the long-term future of our strategy.”
Hepkins confirmed that it was much more difficult to contain this focus than to contain the previous ones, as the delta mutant is more contagious.
Between the price .. and the result
New Zealand has so far recorded just over 3,000 cases and 26 deaths, but the relatively low death toll has cost some New Zealanders dearly, with around 1 million citizens living abroad, over 600,000 in neighboring Australia, which means that many New Zealanders have at least one friend or relative who is abroad and have not seen many loved ones for over a year.
In March 2020, New Zealand closed its borders to almost all foreigners and then asked the vast majority of returnees to spend two weeks in an isolation center at their own expense, and statistics estimate that a little more 167,000 people have been subjected to this quarantine since that time. .
The border closures have also contributed to the paralysis of tourism, with the number of outgoing visitors falling by more than 98% in January 2021 compared to the previous year.
However, New Zealand does not seem in a rush to reconnect with the world. A recent poll by public polling firm Stickybeak showed 84% of those polled supported the decision to shut down last week.
And another Stickybeak poll showed only one in four wanted to reopen the travel bubble with Australia, which allowed arrivals from the neighboring country not to be quarantined.
Charlotte Guigou, 28, a teacher at a school in the capital, Wellington, said the closure was shocking and had prevented her from seeing her family in France, but she still believed the ‘zero Covid’ policy was the right one . approach.
She added: “This closure was really difficult, but before that we were living normally, everything was fine, the vibe was really great, but the pain of not opening the borders is worth bearing because what we let’s get it back, that’s the lifestyle we want. “
As for Anna Robinson, 32, who spent much of the epidemic period in Europe before returning to New Zealand in April, she believes the strict border closure rules came at the cost of missing important moments for loved ones like attending births and weddings and funerals, but she believes the strict closure rules were “a very small price to pay for the amount of freedom and security for the community to come”.
“It’s still possible”
In a related context, Sean Hendi, head of Corona virus research at the University of Auckland, said the country’s rapid response will likely lead to a return to zero cases of Covid-19 disease, continuing: “I don’t don’t think it’s inevitable that we have an outbreak in an out of control delta mutant. ”
He continued: “Once New Zealand has high vaccination rates – maybe between 70% and 80% – Covid can be treated like measles, we don’t prevent measles. But we don’t tolerate it. neither does it spread and we are making a public health response to eliminate it.
On a related note, epidemiologist Michael Baker, who advises the government on its Covid strategy, told National Radio New Zealand this week that disease elimination was the “optimal strategy so far across all indicators we can use, “adding:” Elimination of the epidemic is possible. ” Technically, I’m sure it will happen again in New Zealand. “
Earlier this month, the COVID-19 Public Health Strategic Advisory Group said the disease control strategy could continue, even after New Zealand reopens its borders.
The health ministry has said on its website that it will use a combination of border rules, vaccinations and public health measures to protect people from the outbreak and that the country will still try to eradicate the virus, but that may mean he relies on less blockages.
“Our pandemic strategy has been proven and remains an achievable goal even when current border restrictions are relaxed,” she added, referring to New Zealand which may not plan to coexist with the coronavirus. in the same way as other countries.
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