December 15th is the day Aucklanders achieve freedom from COVID Lockdown, so they can travel and ‘reconnect with the rest of New Zealand in time for Christmas and summer’.
They will have to be fully vaccinated or have a negative test within 72 hours of departure. Not only that, but others can also travel into Auckland. There will be no ‘hard’ borders with Police checking people in or out. Police will have operational discretion on the enforcement of these rules, undertaking random spot checks, just as they do with drink driving.
I had a zoom chat with some COVID Delta representatives suggesting their days may be numbered. That was greeted with some raucous guffaws! They reminded me that that they are the latest of 8 revised versions and further, even with the hard borders they had been successfully establishing themselves in communities previously untouched.
They said, “Mate, since the beginning of November we have steadily increased our hit rate daily from at least 100 to achieving over 200 a day and that, Mate, is with your controlled borders!”
They went on further to draw an analogy with bowling. “It’s like we have been playing in a single lane bowling alley. From 15th December it will be like moving into a new 20 lane bowling alley. Imagine what we can do in there!” I had to wait until they recovered from their shrieking with delight.
I showed him a picture illustrating the various pandemics over time and their associated death rate.
“Looking at this" I said, "you haven’t had a very successful hit rate compared to past pandemics. Why don’t you just pack up and call it quits?” His tone changed and became deeper and more earnest (but at least that question took the growing smile off his face), “We had a good start except here in NZ then you guys got a bit cocky and dropped your guard, and bang! We were in. Yep, we have had a slow start. But as you can see, we have been adapting and practicing and the numbers of infections are starting to pick up. We have been blessed by people wanting to lay off their personal responsibility by blaming your PM.”
"But” I asked, “people will be double vaccinated at best or have tested negative, doesn’t that worry you at all?”
This prompted a scornful response.
“Mate, have you not been paying attention. They don’t worry us. Even with your hard border there were people who couldn’t give a stuff and one way, or another got out and Wahoo, we were right there alongside.”
I reminded them there was a big vaccination campaign. That didn’t seem to faze them either.
"He’s more than just a Bishop in our eyes.”
Then they got all caring maybe patronising, “Look Mate, we know you are all vaccinated and that shit, but the more your leaders try and protect everybody with rules and stuff, the more people are going to get antsy about being ‘controlled’ and just say Fxxx You.”
At that point the conversation got interrupted by a loud smashing sound and someone shouting ‘STEEEERIKE!’ accompanied by lots of shouting and clapping. Mr. Covid said, “That was a good strike for today. Gotta go. We have set some new targets so got get more strikes. Cheers Mate.”
The NZ Chief Covid was having a press conference later in the day, so I tuned in and took a snapshot of the consistent key message.
