There is a fear of a endless limbo for countries that insist on abiding by zero-covid strategies
Yet those with a good first act are struggling in the second. The coronavirus, especially the highly infectious Delta variant, usually has the last word. In Taiwan cases leapt in May, and the official death toll has risen to nearly 850. In Singapore daily infections have risen from low double digits in early July to more than 3,000 now. Australia, with some 2,000-odd daily cases, is following a similar trajectory. Even in New Zealand, now with double-digit daily cases, the dam has broken.
Vietnam ditched its zero-covid strategy last week. This week came New Zealand’s capitulation. Though the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, won praise for her sure handling of the pandemic, the mood has soured. On October 2nd Auckland residents defied stay-at-home orders to protest against restrictions. Two days later Ms Ardern acknowledged, “The return to zero is incredibly difficult.” She announced a “new way of doing things” that included lifting lockdown restrictions.
Likewise, Australia’s ending of zero covid still leaves the full reopening of borders a distant prospect. The first goal, from next month, is to allow all citizens and permanent residents back in. Many of them, astonishingly, have struggled for 18 months to get home. The idea is to let vaccinated returnees quarantine at home rather than force them into hotels. Even for such small moves, Australians deliberate every detail.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Strong Asian Selection Characterizes New Zealand Film FestivalThe New Zealand International Film Festival had to cancel the Auckland leg of its multi-city exhibition series, but will continue in Wellington and Christchurch with a diverse lineup that includes …
Read more »
Malaysia and Singapore ease international travel restrictions in pivot to living with CovidSingapore and Malaysia have each revealed plans to start reopening their borders as the Southeast Asian neighbors move away from their zero-Covid strategies toward living with the virus.
Read more »
Lawmakers slam UK's Covid response, say 'herd immunity' strategy a public health failureThe U.K government's initial approach to tackling the coronavirus outbreak has been called one of the country's worst ever public health failures.
Read more »
The Covid vaccine doesn’t cause infertility, but the disease mightThe Covid vaccine does not cause infertility, but it's possible that getting a severe Covid infection could hurt both male infertility and female infertility.
Read more »
Hollywood Leaders Need to Hear What IATSE Is Really Asking ForWhen the industry came together last fall on a hard-fought agreement among multiple unions and the major studios on COVID safety protocols for production, some executives were wary of the precedent…
Read more »
New Zealand reports 55 new local COVID-19 casesNew Zealand on Wednesday reported 55 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, the majority in the country's largest city of Auckland, up from 43 a day earlier.
Read more »