UK can ‘eliminate’ virus, says New Zealand lockdown chief
THE architect of one of the world’s most effective lockdowns says the UK has “all the tools” to rid itself of coronavirus entirely as he hit out at Britain’s lack of global leadership.
Prof Michael Baker, the doctor who formulated New Zealand’s “elimination” strategy, doubled down on his approach, despite new cases, imported from the UK, raising questions.
“A strategy of containment and elimination can offer a way out of this scenario as it aims to create a situation where people come out of lockdown into a virus-free population,” he said “You (the UK) have all the tools you need to pursue containment and elimination. The alternative is going in and out of lockdown for months, if not years.”
New Zealand has been singled out for its remarkable apparent success in tackling coronavirus, recording just over 1,500 cases and only 22 deaths.
Prof Baker advocated “stamping out” the virus rather than flattening the curve as early as February. In April, he hailed the “most decisive strongest lockdown in the world”.
On June 8, Jacinda Ardern, the country’s prime minister, proudly announced no new infections for the first time since the epidemic began. But, a week, later two new cases were found to have been imported from the UK.
Prof Baker said that, despite the scare, “the system is working” and that it was not necessary to ban arrivals from the UK, or other countries with widespread infection. He said that in the early stages of the virus reaching New Zealand, the country looked to the UK, Europe and the World Health Organisation for leadership.
“The advice was poor to non-existent,” he said, in a swipe at Britain’s approach. “We turned to Asia,” he added.
He also hit out at Sweden, at the opposite end of the spectrum to New Zealand with very loose virus restrictions.
“Sweden based their approach on three assumptions,” he said. “First, the idea of herd immunity. Second was that the economy would be better off. And third, that you could protect the vulnerable [without a lockdown]. You can but, once the virus gets into care facilities, it is devastating.”