An outbreak of the delta variant of the coronavirus is testing New Zealand’s zero-covid strategy. A rethink is taking place in its large neighbor, Australia.
the essentials in brief
- New Zealand wants to fight a new corona outbreak with a national lockdown.
- Neighbor Australia, on the other hand, seems to be slowly detaching itself from the zero-covid strategy.
The whole of New Zealand has been in lockdown since last week. The trigger for this measure: A single case of the delta variant of the coronavirus! As expected, the mockery of the country’s risk-averse approach was not long in coming – and came mainly from abroad.
The British “The Times” called New Zealand a “mysterious socialist recluse nation” in which the public “burns in a Covid prison”. “The Telegraph” criticized a “once welcoming country” that has turned into an “isolated dystopia”.
These reactions to New Zealand’s strategy in the fight against the coronavirus show the clear division in the global approach to Covid. More than 18 months after the start of the pandemic, many countries, including Switzerland, have accepted that the virus will probably never be eradicated. People are now learning to live with Covid.
Even some politicians in Australia, where the zero-covid strategy has been pursued until recently, seem to be rethinking. A delta eruption in the metropolis of Sydney, which could not be contained even after almost three months in lockdown, paved the way for this change of direction.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently announced that with a vaccination rate of 70 to 80 percent, national restrictions – such as the travel ban for Australians and the entry ban for tourists – should fall. “And if we make these decisions, we don’t have to be intimidated by the number of cases, which will certainly increase,” said the conservative politician.
New Zealand responded promptly to the corona outbreak
The difference between Australia and New Zealand? Just hours after the first Delta case was confirmed in the community, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered the entire nation to be locked down last week. Notabene with the support of a broad consensus across the political spectrum.
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New South Wales (NSW), on the other hand, waited ten days until an initially very lax lockdown was introduced for the region around Sydney. At this point in time, the highly contagious variant of the coronavirus had already established itself. On Sunday (local time) NSW reported the largest number of corona cases since the start of the pandemic, with 1218 infections. Australia now has no choice but to recalibrate.
In New Zealand, the delta outbreak spread to 511 cases by Sunday (local time) twelve days after the lockdown was introduced. So far, the population is still overwhelmingly behind the decision of the left-wing government: a survey by the company Stickybreak has shown that 84 percent support the hard lockdown.
Zero Covid Strategy – A Good Idea?
65%
Yes, the coronavirus should be wiped out! –
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Yes, the coronavirus should be wiped out! –
35%
No, we have to be able to live with the virus! –
2
No, we have to be able to live with the virus! –
The question of whether the zero-covid strategy still makes sense in a world that is inundated by the highly contagious delta variant has not been answered – and no longer only employs experts abroad. Even New Zealand’s own Covid-19 special envoy had indicated that the path taken may not last forever. However, Chris Hipkins had no answer (yet) as to what a new strategy might look like.
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