Restrictions gone but not Covid19

THIS week’s abandonment of most Covid19 restrictions will have been met with an unmuffled sigh of relief by many.

Though it was only mid March 2020 when the first measures to manage the coronavirus outbreak in New Zealand were announced, it seems a lifetime ago.

Our controls began with a requirement for 14 days’ selfisolation for those entering the country, unless they were arriving from the Pacific, but less than two weeks later the country was in lockdown and a state of emergency had been declared.

Alert levels and the traffic light system, bubbles, working from home, learning from home, mask wearing, restrictions on travel, vaccinations, boosters, vaccination passes, testing and contact tracing, scanning in with the Covid Tracer app, multiple mandates, selfisolation, managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) and its controversial booking system, were all among things we grew to know and endure.

Enthusiasm for the removal of remaining requirements such as mask wearing in most settings needs to be tempered with the realisation that for the immunocompromised this will be no triumph. For them it is likely to involve more restriction as they become fearful of venturing into places where once they could have been reasonably confident everyone would be wearing masks.

Some people will choose to continue to wear masks in crowded settings, on public transport and in places where there is poor ventilation, and that choice must be respected by others.

Removing most restrictions, including vaccination mandates, may lead to the false notion the pandemic is over, and it is full steam ahead for a Covidfree summer. Case numbers have been declining, we have much higher immunity through vaccination and from many people contracting the disease, and there is increased access to antiviral medicine, but the disease is still here. On Tuesday, it was reported there were 1941 new cases and, in the past week, 12 people had died.

A new sense of freedom may be accompanied by increased numbers of people becoming blase about testing when they have symptoms, with resulting unnecessary spread of infection. Even if they undertake testing, will there be a temptation for some not to report positive results so they can avoid the sevenday isolation requirement?

There has already been criticism that a regular prevalence survey, to check how much disease is in the community, has been announced but still not implemented.

It should not be forgotten our shortstaffed hospitals are still reeling with high nonCovidrelated emergency department presentations with no letup in sight.

With testing no longer a requirement for people entering the country, there is vagueness about how the risk of any new concerning variants that might arrive will be assessed and acted upon before they get out of control and hospitals become swamped.

If there are plans for the ongoing management of the pandemic, we need to hear more about them.

There has been a mixed response to the announcement there will be a oneoff public holiday to commemorate the 70year reign and death of Queen Elizabeth II.

It is no surprise some struggling businesses are balking at forking out for another holiday. But diehard royalists will be thrilled, along with those who recognise the significance of the occasion as the end of an era. Others, less enthusiastic now, may find they get swept up in the pomp and circumstance despite themselves.

Whatever the response, the holiday gesture is appropriate, given that the Queen was our Head of State.

There has been an unfortunate clash of holidays for those living in South Canterbury, with Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day planned for what should be their anniversary day on September 26.

Some spoilsports suggested the Queen’s day could be incorporated into the anniversary day, but the proposal to shift the regional anniversary to Canterbury Anniversary Day on November 11 for this year seems a more sensible and fair solution.