New Zealand: Cruising Related COVID-19 News

[El Pinguino]

Oh well, just over two months after ( most of ) Australia. Who knows when the Hermit Kingdom ( aka WA )will open up.

Meanwhile the full kiwi timetable

'Latest update — 24 November 2021
From January 2022, fully vaccinated New Zealanders can begin travelling to New Zealand without entering MIQ. Here is our 3-step plan:

Opening to fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens and other travellers eligible under our current settings from Australia — from 11:59 pm on 16 January 2022 (provided they have been in Australia or New Zealand for the past 14 days).
Opening to fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens and other travellers eligible under our current settings from all but very high risk countries — from 11:59pm on Sunday 13 February 2022.
Opening to fully vaccinated foreign nationals — from 30 April 2022 onwards.'

Thats from here
https://covid19.govt.nz/travel/inter...o-new-zealand/

Interesting that from December only PNG will be a 'high risk country'.

All good news for sailors in the Pacific.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

…
All good news for sailors in the Pacific.

Don’t bet on it - all the news is about air travel. Sailboats are considered in the same breath as cruise ships, which are still unmentionable and restricted. Sigh

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Don’t bet on it - all the news is about air travel. Sailboats are considered in the same breath as cruise ships, which are still unmentionable and restricted. Sigh

I don't count on anything these days.

Meanwhile in the land of unintended consequences business owners giving the flick to unvaccinated workers have to pay them severence pay.

That would be the last straw if you have an 'unessential' business in Auckland that has been shut down for the last 110 days or so

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/127...is-disgraceful

[GordMay]

Comparing Covid: How New Zealand stacks up

Michael Hanne takes a close look at the numbers to compare New Zealand's Covid response to similarly-sized European nations

Much more ➥ https://www.newsroom.co.nz/comparing...land-stacks-up

[aqfishing]

Not sure if that is good or bad, they will still need to deal with the virus at some point.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by aqfishing

Not sure if that is good or bad, they will still need to deal with the virus at some point.

They announced a plan in late November but Jacinda is now flip-flopping on it.
Plan was to open to Oz in January and the world in April.
https://www.aerotime.aero/29534-new-...ated-travelers

But now
https://7news.com.au/news/new-zealan...many-c-4938250

I think Jacinda is losing her grip.

[El Pinguino]

A problem is that there is a militant 'we aren't getting vaccinated and you can't make us' group who seem to have the backing of the 'Mongrel Mob' , the "Tribesmen' and other mob members.
Its pretty complicated
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/41559...gilante-stoush

from that piece
"Hobson's Pledge leader Don Brash said the group's main concern about the iwi-lead checkpoints was that they were set up against the "prime minister's quite explicit insistence that citizens did not take the law into their own hands".

If some citizens felt able to ignore the prime minister on this point, what was there to stop other citizens doing the same?

"Our strong suspicion is that the police are turning a blind eye to this flagrant breach of the prime minister's direction because the offenders are Māori, no one else would have been able to get away with that," Brash said.

"New Zealand's future will be a bleak one if we go more and more into a society where there are a different set of rules for those with a Māori ancestor."
......

"The official blind eye to lawbreaking and potentially creating a health risk by vigilante iwi-gangster road blockers looks like one law for Māori and another law for everyone else."

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

They announced a plan in late November but Jacinda is now flip-flopping on it.
Plan was to open to Oz in January and the world in April.
https://www.aerotime.aero/29534-new-...ated-travelers
But now
https://7news.com.au/news/new-zealan...many-c-4938250
I think Jacinda is losing her grip.

“We haven’t changed any decisions at this stage around reconnection ... but I think people understand we need to review the latest details and evidence around Omicron,” Jacinda Ardern said.

New facts ≈ Revised thinking.
In my mind, It’s called rational decision-making, not flip-flopping.
To not re-examine a decision, when a situation [or conditions] changes, would be irrational.

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by GordMay

New facts ≈ Revised thinking.
In my mind, It’s called rational decision-making, not flip-flopping.
To not re-examine a decision, when a situation [or conditions] changes, would be irrational.

Agreed. It's often forgotten that the virus keeps moving the goal posts.

Are the european countries also flip flopping by imposing new restrictions now that their situation has changed?

No not all, it's become necessary. Although it may have been prudent for them to have been a bit more cautious in the first place...

[El Pinguino]

So - who is in charge?
This has the makings of a CCF.

'The organisations responsible for insuring regulations are followed include Worksafe and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

Tasman District Council communications manager Chris Choat said councils had no ability to enforce the rules. The landowners were responsible for how leaseholders used the land, he said.

“It’s not our facility, we have no powers.”

The land is leased from Nelson A & P Showgrounds and its office and show manager Annette Robinson said it did not get involved in how the market ran its event.

“It is completely up to them.”

A police spokesperson said the police did not enforce Covid-19 rules.

Stuff approached MBIE and Worksafe for confirmation about market regulations but they did not respond. The Ministry of Health and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet referred Stuff to MBIE and Worksafe for responses.'


https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/127...g-safety-rules

Happy New Year New Zealand

[GordMay]

New Zealand's Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, on Sunday, revealed she has canceled her wedding, that was due to be held this summer, as the country continues to curb a new wave of Omicron cases.
Last month, New Zealand said it was pushing back its phased border reopening, until the end of February, over concerns about the Omicron variant.
New Zealand's Cabinet has agreed to other precautionary measures, including reducing the interval between a second Covid-19 vaccine dose and a booster shot, from six months to four months, and increasing the required length of stay for returning travelers, from seven to 10 days, in managed isolation and quarantine.
Health authorities have reported nine Omicron cases in Motueka, in a single-family household. The family traveled to Auckland, to attend a wedding, a funeral, an amusement park, and a tourist attraction, last weekend, prompting the country to move to the highest "red light" setting.

[more]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Comparing Covid: How New Zealand stacks up

Michael Hanne takes a close look at the numbers to compare New Zealand's Covid response to similarly-sized European nations

Much more ➥ https://www.newsroom.co.nz/comparing...land-stacks-up

and in EU/USA covid-19 pandemic is soon over, except new Zeland just beginning .

[El Pinguino]

What 'red' means in the NZ system
'What happens?
Record keeping and scanning required.
Face coverings mandatory on flights, transport, retail, public venues and recommended when leaving home.
Public facilities open with 1m distancing.
Retail open with capacity limits, 1m distancing.
Working from home encouraged.
Schools, ECE open with public health measures.
Specified outdoor community events allowed with limits
Regional restrictions might apply.
Venues using vaccine certificates:
Gatherings, weddings, funerals limited to 100 people with 1m distancing.
Vaccinations required for onsite tertiary education, capacity based on 1m distancing.
Indoor or outdoor events limited to 100 people with 1m distancing.
Gyms, hairdressers or close contact businesses, limited to 100 people with 1m distancing.
Venues not using vaccine certificates:
Contactless pickup only for hospitality.
Gatherings, weddings, funerals limited to 25 people.
Distance learning only for tertiary education.
No gyms or hairdressers or close contact business.
No events, indoors or outdoors.

[El Pinguino]

Hot off the press - Jacinda announces a re-opening plan.
Live at Stuff just now
https://www.stuff.co.nz

[GordMay]

Fears for Māori as New Zealand opens up amid Omicron wave
Experts say vaccine rollout failed to involve the Indigenous community or recognise their greater health risks.
Data, until December 13, showed Māori made up half the country’s infections with the Delta strain, 38.6 percent of hospital admissions for the variant, and 45 percent of associated deaths, according to the tribunal report [1].
Māori make up only 15.6 percent of the population, it noted.
For Māori, vaccination rates have seen a big jump in the last few months with 89 percent of eligible Māori partially vaccinated and 84 percent fully vaccinated.
More ➥ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/...d-omicron-wave


[1] THE COVID-19 PRIORITY REPORT ~ by The Waitangi Tribunal 20/12/2021
➥ https://waitangitribunal.govt.nz/ass...Priority-W.pdf