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March 21, 2020 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 21 March 2020

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Simon

“No travel ban: Tedros, as he is called, said the WHO does not recommend limiting either trade or travel to China at this time. “In fact, we oppose it,” he said. The health organization said it would question border closures, quarantining of airplane passengers who aren’t ill, and similar steps.”

WHO from end of January. Those were the days.

The fucking WHO. Never forget. And the mongs here screaming to listen to the WHO and keep the borders open.

Italy got it wrong NZ government by a massive fluke got it right
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March 21, 2020 8:14am
- fightingtemeraire
  
  Simon
  
  Go to the China Uncensored on You Tube and watch their article on the CLOSE relationship between WHO and the PRC
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:22am
  - Simon
    
    Yep the WHO were lied too or were corrupted by CCP
    
    CCP a menace to humanity.
    
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    March 21, 2020 9:23am
    - IC5000
      
      Not if you’re Simon Bridges
      
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      March 21, 2020 1:20pm
  - curry4me
    
    fightingtemeraire: Just what I was going to say.
    
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    March 21, 2020 4:08pm
- All_on_Red
  
  Ardern was too slow. Still is.
  She was claiming yesterday that she has stopped the Cruise ships.
  There’s two in the Harbour right now…
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:29am
  - Albert_Ross
    
    When the ban on cruise ships was introduced, it applied only to those that hadn’t arrived yet, so the two you can see were probably already in NZ waters at that point, just as some foreign tourists currently in New Zealand don’t have to self-isolate because they’ve been here since before the rule was introduced. Jacinda should have known that.
    
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    March 21, 2020 8:42am
  - Chris Morgan
    
    All she had to do is say they were empty and weren’t dropping off or picking up, but no, she basically said they weren’t there!
    
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    March 21, 2020 8:45am
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    yeah, AoR, she got real ratty when Hosking pointed that out yesterday!
    
    to misquote:
    
    C: I have banned all cruise ships (see how decisive and strong I am!)
    
    H: Look out the window love, there are two out there right now!
    
    C: Splutter splutter, I have banned all cruise ships! (stop being mean to me!)
    
    H: Who you gonna believe, Cindy or your lyin’ eyes?
    
    The upside from all this. Who knew that Cindy had started working Fridays!
    
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    March 21, 2020 8:56am
    - Sir Cullen's Sidekick
      
      Bro – Cindy’s responsive and leadership is decisive and receiving high praise from everybody. People around the world long for Cindy to be their PM or President or even God. So stop blaming Cindy and start worshipping her like our MSM do. Game over.
      
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      March 21, 2020 10:43am
      - hullkiwi
        
        SCS, sadly the Fraser House Facebook trolls have been posting Jacinda is a superwoman who has dealt with a terrorist, saved us from a volcanic eruption and now she is providing real leadership to save NZ from Wuhan flu!!!
        
        So, Simon has no experience and can go away.
        
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        March 21, 2020 7:48pm
  - davidp
    
    I can see the same two but they’re not following the normal arrive-depart tempo. Is it possible they’re just parked up for the duration?
    
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    March 21, 2020 9:02am
  - SGA
    
    The cruise ships are disgorging passengers, or are they just giving the passengers a quick look from afar (as it were) before heading down to Fiordland?
    
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    March 21, 2020 9:11am
  - mjw
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    And that sums up the ignorant right wing criticism of the government in this crisis. Just stirring up trouble, without any facts.
    
    The ships are empty. Withdraw your alarmism please.
    
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    March 21, 2020 9:31am
    - Kevin Herlihy
      
      The Noordam is empty and is taking on provisions for the crew before departing, and the Azamurra is doing a debark, that is offloading passengers to transfer to the airport.
      
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      March 21, 2020 10:22am
      - BK Scurfield
        
        Those cruise ships need to be instructed to stay. We are going to need all the resources we can get.
        
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        March 21, 2020 1:32pm
    - Northland Wahine
      
      Ships are empty? Being auto piloted are they?
      
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      March 21, 2020 10:38am
    - Ed Snack
      
      Empty of passengers. They have a large staff component who can also go ashore and spread the virus.
      
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      March 21, 2020 2:27pm
  - coge
    
    Too slow is correct. NZ confirmed cases increasing at a rate of 40% per day. “Do the math”
    
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    March 21, 2020 1:40pm
    - Aunty
      
      That’s right. 52 today, 200 next weekend??!
      
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      March 21, 2020 5:23pm
- the deity formerly known as nigel6888
  
  Yup the WHO, another organisation corrupted by the CCP.
  
  You gotta admit, the Chinese Government is nothing if not consistent and professional in its approach to the institutions of its enemies!
  
  As in, consistent and professional in subverting them all!
  
  Must be another one of those efficiency features that Thomas Friedman kept telling us to admire and emulate about the CCP!
  
  Wonder if there is anyone left in Wuhan alive at this point?
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:53am
- emmess
  
  Message to the Chinese Communist Party members and the WHO.
  Hug an Italian. They are people, not viruses.
  Come on. What’s the matter? You are not raaaaacist, are you?
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:37am
- Stephen Russell
  
  At that time (end of Jan) there was little reason to suppose that Covid-19 would become a pandemic. Most people assumed it would be like SARS or Bird Flu, and be dealt with by lesser measures. Should WHO have called for a travel ban and derailed the global economy over those viruses? It is easy to be wise in hindsight.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:18am
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    Mostly because the chinese government was imprisoning the doctors who said there was a major problem in Wuhan!
    
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    March 21, 2020 1:27pm
    - hullkiwi
      
      The first whistleblowing doctor was one of the first to die.
      
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      March 21, 2020 7:40pm
  - Ed Snack
    
    We’re not sure, it is quite possible that by that time the Chinese government at least was well aware of significant person to person spread and would have estimated figures for the R0 (spreadability if you like) of the disease. In December it was too early as the first diagnosed patients (may well have not been the first infected) were just being found and the numbers were low. But by end January the scale was getting pretty obvious and WHO should have been far more alert to the potential for pandemic spread.
    
    Given the SARS and MERS experience, the Chinese and WHO *should* have been far more alert to the possibility. COVID-19 is very closely related to both but spreads far easier although looks to be a little less lethal especially compared to MERS.
    
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    March 21, 2020 2:32pm
  - Aunty
    
    Those of us who know what we are talking about when it comes to viruses and epi- and pandemics knew this is what was going to happen. It’s just a pity that those don’t know what they are talking about just wouldn’t (and many still don’t) take it seriously.
    
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    March 21, 2020 5:27pm
- hullkiwi
  
  Simon, you will not be surprised that Italy’s problem is the number of illegal Chinese workers working in the industrial belt of Lombardy. Including Europes’s large whiteware manufacturer which assembles Haier, F&P, Zanussi, Hotpoint, Whirlpool and other products.
  
  appears Northern Italy was an open transit station point for chinese workers. Plus like all things Italian, scratch beneath the surface and you get a health system that cannot cope.
  
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  March 21, 2020 7:38pm
MT_Tinman

I was told yesterday I will be receiving tax-payer money for doing nothing – for the time that traditionally I would be doing nothing.

Knowing taxes will be required to pay this money back (The CoL has spent all existing money on election bribes and will borrow the rest) even if I refuse it, I’ll happily take the payout.

This incident shows, to me, just how incompetent the current lot are at targeting assistance to where it’s needed
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March 21, 2020 8:16am
- Paulus Gnome
  
  I don’t know anything about targeting, the bastards managed to miss me
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:20am
- canfel
  
  Where is the assistance needed?
  The problem is civil unrest… no food no money hospitals jammed up cant pay rent… what would you do to feed your family…??
  I hope it does not come to this..
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:23am
  - artemisia
    
    There are government programmes already in place, apart from those announced this week. Temporary Additional Support, Sustaining Tenancies, emergency and transitional housing, Accommodation Supplement, other benefits obviously. People and tenants should apply there quick smart at the first sign of financial trouble if the new programmes don’t apply. Even if they do.
    
    The government will have to pump more money into the existing programmes if the demand increases. Better to use support where the framework and funding are already available.
    
    Tell your family, friends and tenants. Unless you are their mum, and then do what parents do.
    
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    March 21, 2020 9:47am
    - Stephen Russell
      
      The problem is that these measure are just spraying money about – and mostly it is going to those not directly affected, like beneficiaries. The people and companies hardest hit (eg in tourism) are not getting any help. Subsidising wages, even by 75%, is no use when the company has no income to pay the remaining 25%, and still has to pay rent, rates, overheads etc.
      
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      March 21, 2020 10:22am
      - artemisia
        
        Stephen, no need to be just for beneficiaries. Workers on reduced or no hours can and should be applying. That is what the programmes are there for, and increased funding will be available if there is demand. One thing the government could do immediately is increase the Accommodation Supplement – it is tested against household income, size and location – and covers rent and mortgage so any increase is already targeted.
        
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        March 21, 2020 10:39am
- Nickc2
  
  Don’t be sucked in, this is Cindy’s precursor to a Capital Gains Tax (CGT) in order to balance a budget that didn’t need balancing and to pay back borrowed money for infrastructure projects that won’t be started before the next election.
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:26am
  - tf78
    
    Don’t forget the dreaded “death duties” always a favourite, especially with the older people dying first with the COVID 2020
    
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    March 21, 2020 8:49am
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    And a UBI – don’t forget that the jobless are apparently affected by layoffs too!
    
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    March 21, 2020 8:57am
- kowtow
  
  They’ll have to introduce new taxes to pay for their extreme and unreasonable reaction to Wuflu. Probably wealth taxes.
  
  I also fear gubmints will now be encouraged in the future to introduce other extreme laws for pet projects such as climate catastrophe etc seeing as how they’ve got away with the Wuflu panic , it’s not a pandemic it’s a panpanic.
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:38am
  - MCos
    
    It not a ‘flu’.
    
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    March 21, 2020 9:53am
    - septic skeptic
      
      Correct. It’s pneumonia.
      
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      March 21, 2020 10:02am
      - Ed Snack
        
        Not really, pneumonia is the result from the viruses effect on the lungs where it causes fibrosis and restricts oxygen uptake.
        
        COVID-19 is not an influenza as such; that is, the current influenza viruses types A, B, C, and D are not Corona Viruses but are quite similar RNA viruses. Of the Influenza viruses, Type A H3N2 is highly variable with a number of new subtypes appearing. Type H1N1 (the one that caused the 2008-9 outbreak) is much less variable. Type C causes a milder illness and D is restricted to cattle. Type B is less variable than H3N2 but more so than H1N1. FWIW.
        
        Note that there are other viruses that cause flu like symptoms including some Corona viruses and others.
        
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        March 21, 2020 2:43pm
      - curry4me
        
        septic skeptic: I call it the ‘presitator virus. I wonder if there will be enough of a backlash for him to be deposed, and end up on his own organ donation scheme?
        
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        March 21, 2020 4:14pm
    - kowtow
      
      No , it’s a “Wuflu” , from China.
      
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      March 21, 2020 10:46am
      - SB 2
        
        kowtow, garnering your tastes for bigotry?
        
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        March 21, 2020 11:43am
    - JibberJabber
      
      Kung Flu.
      
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      March 21, 2020 10:57am
      - kowtow
        
        Ah Choo.
        
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        March 21, 2020 11:57am
    - Kiwi Dave
      
      True – the correct term for widespread pneumonia from China is pandamonium.
      
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      March 21, 2020 11:30am
      - Nutta
        
        Pandapnumonium, surely?
        
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        March 21, 2020 9:02pm
- emmess
  
  From what I have seen the NZ government rescue package has been the worst in the world.
  
  Even the communist Labour opposition in the UK is only pushing for temporary measures.
  https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-51983086
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:16am
MrTips

Wondered why TheMidgetPrick™ has been so quiet lately, other than to make dick statements encouraging NZers to bring COVID19 back here?

Apparently, the SFO have had a “visit” to close confidents of NZF.

Self isolation may be taking on a whole new meaning for him.
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March 21, 2020 8:17am
- Nickc2
  
  Yes. Andrew Little has been cleaning out jails full of gang members to make room for the latest gang of criminals on the block – NZ First.
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:51am
- Sir Cullen's Sidekick
  
  Nobody, not even God can touch Winnie the Poo. SFO is nobody.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:45am
kowtow

Doing a bit of googling ,in 2019 the US had 41.3 million flu cases and 57,300 deaths .
Between the 2013/14 to 2016/17 flu seasons Italy had over 5 million flu cases and over 68,000 deaths ie over 20,000 a year .

Why the panic over Wuflu?

Dr Wolfgang Wodang may have the answer . He’s on youtube and perhaps worth the ten minutes.
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March 21, 2020 8:19am
- tf78
  
  I’m beginning to think “panic” is part of the plan.
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:51am
  - kowtow
    
    Plan ? Beyond the Media Party scaring the shit out of everyone and pollies panicking about polls ,is there a plan ?
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:48am
- Evadne
  
  There will likely be considerably more deaths and poor health outcomes (and economic disaster) due to the hard Covid restrictions than will die of Covid itself. They’ll just take a bit longer to show up.
  
  Particularly amongst our elderly. Everyone knows that physical activity and social interaction is vital to maintain mental and physical health in old age. (Use it or lose it.)
  Restricting these very things will see our elders’ health plummet and death rate rise regardless of whether they have Covid.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:07am
  - namron
    
    How “old” is considered “elderly” these days?
    A] over 60
    B] over 70
    C] over 80
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:56am
    - Ed Snack
      
      Well, my Mother in Law qualifies, at 102 !
      
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      March 21, 2020 2:45pm
    - mara
      
      Old age is a fact of life but being “elderly” is a state of mind. Some people are born elderly. By the time they are 30 they are unbearably tedious, wear home-knitted Bain cardigans/jumpers, have never had an original thought and will always corner you at any social event to bore you to homicidal thinking.
      By contrast many old people are never “elderly” and remain interesting in their own way till the day they die.
      
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      March 21, 2020 5:58pm
- SGA
  
  Why the panic over Wuflu?
  
  One way you could look at it is this – what would those total deaths from influenza look like if many people (especially those at risk) were not explicitly vaccinated against various strains every year, there were no levels of natural immunity because influenza was novel, and influenza was a little more easily spread.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:18am
- emmess
  
  I cant believe we still have to say this.
  Italy had over 600 deaths yesterday. Annualised that is more than 200000. An order of magnitude larger than the figures you cite. And that is not even taking into account the regional concentration and exponential growth.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:20am
  - kowtow
    
    It’s already been established that the Italians are attributing all corona related deaths to this panic .
    How many times must it be said that the vast majority die from underlying causes?
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:32am
    - Evadne
      
      Dying *with* Covid and dying *from* Covid are substantially different. The Italian figures include people who die for any reason, who have also tested +ve, regardless of whether it caused or contributed to death.
      
      We won’t know the real figures until we can plot mortality rates in an annual context.
      
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      March 21, 2020 11:31am
    - Ed Snack
      
      I believe that this is correct, Italy is recording the deaths rather differently than other European countries. Bit there does seem to be a significant increase in the death rate judging from the fact that local crematoriums ar unable to cope with the number of bodies, so however attributed, the death rate has definitely increased.
      
      And even if COVID-19 is not directly responsible, it is a contributing factor.
      
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      March 21, 2020 2:48pm
    - emmess
      
      So Kowtow, is what you saying is that you okay with anyone with a mild pre-existing condition having a decent chance of a death sentence?
      
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      March 21, 2020 2:53pm
- R
  
  Why the panic over Wuflu?
  
  Good question. Bad news sells. In NZ we had 1000 test results announced yesterday and only 11 tested positive. In other words, 99% don’t have the virus. And presumably those tested were high risk.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:21am
  - Sir Cullen's Sidekick
    
    Do you trust the tests? – Simon Dud Bridges.
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:46am
- MCos
  
  Italy had more than a thousand Covid-19 related deaths in the last two days.
  They are currently imposing ultra stringent regulations that can only be maintained for a finite period.
  The virus will swirl around until everyone is immune, either by being infected or immunized. A vaccine is not anticipated for 12-18 months.
  Same here.
  BTW
  The Hong Kong flu that killed millions around 1968 is still in circulation.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:07am
- SB 2
  
  Wufku?? Please expand on that?
  
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  March 21, 2020 11:44am
- Billy Collins
  
  Deaths are still spiralling upward.
  
  Once ICU beds are maxed out entirely in Europe and the Americas, the death spiral will ramp up even more.
  
  10k deaths in 3 months, that will double in a fraction of the time, then double again in a smaller fraction of time, and so on.
  
  The flu numbers are based on the world restricting nothing, and the numbers for coronavirus look to be similar or worse, and that’s with entire countries going in to lockdown.
  
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  March 22, 2020 4:43am
niggly

Can the govt give NZ’ers some clear answers on NZ’s Covid19 cases such as:

How many people have recovered? (I recall hearing NZ’s first case, the elderly person from Iran had recovered, plus I think there was mention of a second recovery a few days ago? Have any others recovered)?

Are all the remaining (NZ) cases hospitalised?
How many of them are in ICU? What is their status?

Asking because I’ve read a couple of articles of NZ’ers who caught CV19 when based overseas and they state they were laid up for a few days and recovered ok.

So how really bad is the NZ situation? Asking because we have a MSM in overrdive scaring the bejesus out of everyone.

We also have a Prime Minister and her Finance Minister talking the worst (recession, massive job loses, economy hit etc) … could you imagine John Key (or even Bill English) being so negative? I can’t, they would be positive, as they were during the GFC and ChCh earthquakes!

Then I’m reading people here saying that the govt is simply copying (albeit later) other countries. But I’ve heard no-one talking about the fact that the 200,000 or so cases are in the northern hemisphere (their winter) and only 200 or maybe more now in the southern hemisphere (our summer/early spring).

Back to the govt following the lead of others … so when the countries in the northern hemisphere recover over their summer (our winter) and re-open their borders …. will Jacinda and Robbo do the same and open our borders (during our winter – our peak flu/CV19 season)? Or will the govt keep NZ isolated for a lot longer (with masses unemployed and angry)?

The govt’s actions don’t seem to make alot of sense for our situation in the world. Do we really need to close the trans-tasman borders when CV19 is already here (and already in Aust)? It seems Jacinda did so early as ScoMo only recently did so, IIRC (was there any consultation? The MSM don’t seem to be asking these questions of Jacinda)! Or was it a case of Jacinda trying to be “the first” and a baffled Australia had to follow (image the Aussie MSM pressure on ScoMo – “hey mate NZ’s Jacinda has done so, so why haven’t you” etc)?

I’m sorry if I sound negative but I do not trust the Govt’s competence here. They are scaring the bejesus out of people (and people are panic buying at the supermarket despite being told there are no supply issues and so).

Ironically despite these tough govt measures, I can quote plenty of MSM articles where the govt states it is safe for school children to go to school if anyone wants to see them! So which is it?

Although indications are the govt will close schools as early as next week – if that happens they are contradicting what they have being saying this week and last week!

When critics criticise National by saying “they would do the same” I don’t think so, based on the way National have presided over other disasters!

So like I say, sorry for the negativity, but this Labour/NZF led govt is giving me NO confidence and still are appearing incompetent!
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March 21, 2020 8:30am
- artemisia
  
  Check out this link, I believe it is WHO numbers and is updated in real time.
  https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:59am
- tf78
  
  I watch Aussie news instead of NZ (for information) Scomo planned for what Jacinda just did.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:01am
  - SGA
    
    For heavens sake, why does that surprise you? Most countries are following the same general plan – Australia and New Zealand among them (and if anything we trigger things earlier than most countries – e.g., UK, Canada, Australia, USA). I would hope there was a lot of communication and some coordination between Aus and NZ efforts – that’s a bit of a no-brainer.
    
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    March 21, 2020 3:14pm
- MT_Tinman
  
  Notably also this “government” are doing the exact opposite of the Key/English measures to ensure NZ’s financial stability.
  
  The Key/English measures proved successful, giving NZ a big advantage during and after the GFC.
  
  Doing exactly the opposite this time will probably have the opposite effect.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:05am
- Paulus Gnome
  
  The government is promoting this panic buying by their mixed message scatter gun dithering approach. People do not have the confidence that the government is telling us the truth.
  
  The government have lied to us before and so, understandably, we are skeptical now
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:35am
  - Westie Bob
    
    How much is panic buying and how much is buying extra to minimise trips to the supermarket. Eg doing your shop fortnightly instead weekly?
    
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    March 21, 2020 1:49pm
- mjw
  
  Honestly niggly, the government is doing the right thing here. The rapid progression in Italy, Spain, and France is really really bad. But some countries seem to have clamped down and kept COVID-19 under control, for now, like Japan and Korea and Singapore. We want to be in the second group, not the first group.
  
  Also, things are about to get horrifyingly bad in the USA. They had sustained community transmission. Now some states are in full lockdown, but I am desperately worried that the horse has already bolted there.
  
  Stay safe. Physical distancing, hand washing, avoid touching your face. Good luck.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:42am
- MCos
  
  “How many people have recovered?”
  
  Logic would suggest that if there are three alternative, death, permanent impairment are full recovery.
  It seems it’s not immediately apparent if lung capacity is permanently impaired.
  https://www.businessinsider.com.au/coronavirus-recovery-damage-lung-function-gasping-air-hong-kong-doctors-2020-3?r=US&IR=T
  
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  March 21, 2020 11:43am
Stu2

Gained an insight this morning from RNZ

– 3 months for the first 100,000 Covid cases
– 12 days for the next 100,000
– 25,000 reported so far for the last 24 hours (that will increase as numbers are updated, they are not final yet)
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March 21, 2020 8:34am
- Misha Beattie
  
  I used this example yesterday for a friend who asked me what exponential growth meant. She had heard someone use the term in relation to the virus.
  
  Imagine a pond. On Day 1 a lilly leaf ? falls into the pond. On Day 2 it doubles so two illy leaves. And on Day 3, doubles to four lilly leaves and on Day 4 to eight lilly leaves and so on.
  
  Three questions.
  
  If the pond takes 60 days to be completely covered in lilly leaves, how many days will it take to cover just 1 percent of the pond in lilly leaves?
  
  How much of the pond will be covered after 59 days?
  
  How many lilly leaves will be in the pond after 60 days?
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:56am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    1. 53 and a bit days
    2. 59 days
    3. 5.76 x10^17
    
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    March 21, 2020 11:01am
- Andrei
  
  What conclusions do you draw from that “insight?”
  
  It’s a geometric series – facinating things geometric series
  
  There is a gambling system called the “martingale” based on geometric series
  
  What you do is you make even money bets
  
  And you double the stake t every time you loose knowing that you must eventually win.
  
  And when you eventually win you will be one unit of your original stake ahead.
  
  Exercise for the reader what is the flaw in this cunning plan.
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:58am
  - Biscuit
    
    Andrei, that is why Casinos have ‘Maximum Allowable Bets’.
    
    Dunno when it kicks in but I believe it would only take a run of eight or so losses – nothing unusual – for you to run into that wall.
    
    And lose…
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:30am
    - Hard Cheese
      
      Even with no maximum allowable bet, the flaw with the plan is that if you have a sequence of losses the next stake required becomes so large you won’t have the money to fund it
      
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      March 21, 2020 11:27am
- Evadne
  
  Over that time testing has also increased exponentially.
  
  Are there significantly more cases, or are we just better at confirming them?
  
  Early research indicates it’s possible that 50% of all “infected” people show little or no symptoms. A further 40% have mild to moderate flu symptoms.
  
  In all likelihood it’s been spreading worldwide for longer and more comprehensively than the official tested case numbers show.
  
  I guess we won’t really know the answer to that until the dust settles and we can look at mortality and health figures in context. And someone invents a test for antibodies, which picks up historical infections.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:00am
- kowtow
  
  When you test ,you find .
  Where and who you test determines the results.
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:03pm
- Ed Snack
  
  This however is noticeably skewed by the change in testing capacity. US numbers will go up rapidly as they ramp up testing, that doesn’t represent a real increase in actual cases, just in known cases.
  
  And it does seem that the 1-2% positive result of tests is relatively robust. When you consider that in NZ at least only those at risk are tested, that shows a pretty low spread so far.
  
  There are signs to be optimistic about, not just the relatively slow spread in NZ, but the possibility at least that Chloroquine and derogates may prove to be an effective treatment. There are now three small but reasonably well tested studies showing a real impact with that drug matched with an antibiotic. Obviously needs larger studies to thoroughly confirm, but three is a replicated result and it does look promising.
  
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  March 21, 2020 2:55pm
Happychappy

National should be looking at making another add saying how can you trust the Coalition with peoples lives and living when you have had a trail of failures and deciet over the past two years,
Starting with Phil Twyford on Kiwibuild, David Clark with Meningococcal disease and not enough vaccines to fix the problem,then the
Measles epidemic that was exported to Samoa through inept measures to contain it and now Coronavirus that has shut down NZ with 39 deaths already . Then you have Winston and what most in theNZ Pulic will say is out and out corruption in donations scandle that should have seen him relinquish his Ministers Folder with his position of Deputy PM but no the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is still calling on people to trust her and her colleagues while thousands of ordinary folks are dying as knowone can come up with a vaccine to fix it.
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March 21, 2020 8:35am
- Nickc2
  
  I don’t think we have had a death in NZ yet caused by COVID-19. Sure, we have 39 cases, but no deaths to the best of my knowledge.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:00am
  - Happychappy
    
    Yes it was supposed to be cases but when your post is held in moderation you don’t always get the chance to dit your mistakes.
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:01am
- greybeard
  
  Not 39 deaths, 39 known cases.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:26am
  - kowtow
    
    Only one in hospital ,a Spaniard in his 60’s ,the rest at home . So how “bad” is it ?
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:37am
- calendar girl
  
  It appears that NZ has recorded 39 cases of Covid-19, but no deaths to date according to this country-by-country status report: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:48am
- Sir Cullen's Sidekick
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Bro – everybody knows Simon Bridges is dud and waste of time. NZ has swung behind Cindy solidly. My sources tell me that next opinion polls will show Labour at 60% and Cindy at 75% popularity. Game over Simon dude. Pack up and leave.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:48am
  - chwaga
    
    My next door neighbour is a life long labour supporter. This morning he was most upset at the government for supporting beneficiaries rather than supporting industries as he is under threat of redundancy. Oh well another blue supporter now.
    
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    March 21, 2020 11:23am
Engelbert Humperdink

This is a lengthy copy and paste so I’ve edited for content.

…The WHO Director-General (DG) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been an outspoken advocate for the Chinese government’s COVID-19 response. On January 28, Tedros met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Following the meeting, Tedros commended China for “setting a new standard for outbreak control” and praised the country’s top leadership for its “openness to sharing information” with the WHO and other countries.

“Meanwhile in Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese officials were busy arresting and punishing citizens for “spreading rumors” about the disease, while online censors controlled the flow of information.

Despite growing evidence of China’s mishandling of the outbreak and rising domestic Chinese outrage over the government’s censorship, Tedros remained unmoved. On February 20 at the Munich Security Conference, Tedros doubled down on his praise for China stating that “China has bought the world time.”

In contrast to his effusive praise for China, Tedros has been quick to criticize other countries for their responses to the outbreak. He called upon nations not to limit travel with China and warned against the “recrimination or politicization” of the outbreak. Domestic Chinese news coverage prominently features Tedros’ praise of Xi Jinping and criticism of foreign governments.

More concerning is Tedros’ delay in declaring COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). On January 23, the WHO’s emergency committee was split on whether to declare a PHEIC. With final authority resting with the DG, Tedros decided to wait despite admitting that “this is an emergency in China.” A week later, he declared a PHEIC. By that point, confirmed cases of COVID-19 had increased tenfold with 7,781 cases across 18 countries. John Mackenzie, a member of the WHO executive committee, publicly stated that international action would have been different if not for China’s “reprehensible” obfuscation of outbreak’s extent.

Ya think?
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March 21, 2020 8:38am
- Loddenthinks
  
  Yet DPF posts about Trump’s statements and actions on COVID-19, which as far as reasonable analysis can tell, are much the same as those of WHO, Boris, and our own Fairy Princess who’s still absolutely gutted that she didn’t get the hijab/frowny face/hugs PR photoshoot opportunity last Sunday.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:52am
Maggy Wassilieff

Just in case we are in for a long haul… I’ll need some light relief from reading worthy tomes.
In the past, my usual light reading was Detective fiction, but I’m not up with many current writers in this genre.

I’ve read most of the classic stuff (Ngaio Marsh excepted) and once had a preference for Georges Simenon- Maigret books.

The one modern writer I follow is James Church with his Inspector O (often set in N. Korea) series.

Any recommendations?
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March 21, 2020 8:39am
- Evadne
  
  For classic British style, try PD James, Reginald Hill, Barry Maitland, Elizabeth George.
  
  For something grittier / police procedural there’s Ian Rankin, Jane Casey, Graham Hurley.
  
  “Cosy” writers include Ann Granger, MC Beaton, Morag Joss.
  
  Don’t really know the American writers well.
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:48am
- All_on_Red
  
  Elmore Leonard is good lite relief.
  He’s prolific too, so plenty to choose from.
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:52am
- JibberJabber
  
  Abir Mukherjee, an Indian/ Scottish author
  https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Man-Novel-Abir-Mukherjee/dp/168177416X
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:52am
- MCos
  
  St James Church is in Mangere Bridge
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:53am
- artemisia
  
  Over on the Trademe Books Message Board there is a long thread titled ‘Crime/Thriller series recommendations’.
  
  There you are Maggy, all in one place.
  
  There are huge numbers downloadable via local libraries from Overdrive and BorrowBox – ebooks and audiobooks. Guaranteed free from germs.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:05am
- the deity formerly known as nigel6888
  
  I’ve been getting into indie Milfi space opera!
  
  The Galaxy’s Edge series by Anspach and Cole, great fun and all on Kindle!
  
  be careful though, its a pretty large universe, and they have franchised the series with other authors writing into it! I think i have read about 20 of them so far!
  
  Larry Correia, Monster Hunters series is also good fun – what if monsters were real, and franchised bounty hunters were hired by a secretive government agency to keep them under control and the public safe but unaware….
  
  if you want to stay Det Fic, then I recommend rereading Kinky Friedman – I still like his stuff.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:05am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Kinky Friedman’s book after running for governor of Texas is good.
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:22am
- Hollyfield
  
  Elizabeth George. Detective Lynley series. She has about 5 very different detectives who feature with varying amounts in each book, so each book feels very unique but still with familiar characters. Each crime takes places in different surroundings with very different characters, they’re not formulaic. The BBQ did a short series of a few of the books. My favourite modern author.
  
  PD James. Adam Dalgleish series. The character development of even minor characters is amazing, and her books are quite intense – you do have to focus when reading her books, they’re not light reads you can just skim through. She writes more like a classic author than a modern one. (published in the 1960s onwards) Lots of her books have been made into movies, including Children of Men with Julianne Moore and Michael Caine.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:18am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Yep, I love E. George (and I shouldn’t… A Yank writing about Brits, FGS!); she writes great prose.
    
    I like PD James, too.
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:11am
  - projectman
    
    Some of these (and other authors) are available as audiobooks on YouTube.
    
    Jeffrey Archer’s series are good, well-written and, if you get audiobooks (perhaps from your local library) very well narrated.
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:56am
- emmess
  
  Dean Koontz – The Eyes of Darkness
  Seems topical
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:28am
- MT_Tinman
  
  I prefer columnists and fiction (often the same 🙂 ).
  
  A couple I have read and thoroughly enjoyed: Threat, Richard Jessup and Old Man’s War, John Scalzi.
  
  If you want bulk try a search of free e-books.
  
  Some amazing stuff out there. Genuine wordsmiths.
  
  I’m enjoying Wodehouse (a naughty boy in the 1930s so I wasn’t able to read him as a lad) at the moment.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:31am
- David Garrett
  
  Maggy: James Patterson is good..and of course it’s legal rather than crime fiction, but Grisham is an invariably good read.
  
  But one American author I think you might enjoy is a guy called Nelson de Mille. Start with “Gold Coast”
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:35am
- backster
  
  Lynda La Plante…Mary Higgins Clark… my favourite two.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:41am
- Jules99
  
  Wow, you listed all my favourites! I enjoyed the Falco series by Lindsey Davis. The follow-on Flavia Albia books are good too.
  
  Also recommend the Sister Fidelma mysteries by Peter Tremayne.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:49am
- Sacha
  
  I read thriller/detective novels for light relief. I browse the bin at the local Post Shop (3 for $25) There are some that I enjoyed very much:
  sjowall & wahloo translated from the Swedish. A series of 10 novels written in the 1960s – the Inspector Beck series. They are said to have transformed the genre –
  Peter Grainger. He wrote the DC Smith series – a likeable detective facing his retirement and watching the young ones growing into the job. And some nice plots.
  Currently I’m reading Torquil (!) MacLeod Malmo series. His main character is a female detective, Anita Sundstrom. Very readable.
  A Lesson in Dying – Ann Cleeves
  The Bar Harbour RetirementHome for Famous Writers (And Their Muses) by Terri-Lynne DeFino. (don’t be put off by the title or author’s name 🙂 )
  My kindle is jam packed – some are good and some are total duds.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:04am
- chuk
  
  Mick Herron’s “Slow Horses” series concerns MI5 agents who have been exiled from the mainstream for various colourful cock-ups. Pacey and amusing too.
  
  Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series has interesting characters and plot lines with some deft comedic scenes.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:35am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    I Love Kate Atkinson’s writing – I’ve read all her stuff.
    (I really enjoyed Transcription).
    
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    March 21, 2020 1:31pm
    - chuk
      
      Maggie – I agree re Kate Atkinson. A friend recommended the Jackson Brodie series and I now have the pleasure of reading her other books.
      
      I enjoyed Behind the Scenes at the Museum recently and Transcription is one of the ones in the bookcase waiting to be picked up.
      
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      March 21, 2020 4:33pm
  - artemisia
    
    Just read Mick Herron’s The List (available on Overdrive) – a short story about one of those exiled agents. Good read.
    
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    March 21, 2020 5:14pm
  - Shaun the Sheep
    
    Uptick for the Mick Herron recommendation.
    I’ve enjoyed several of the Slough House books.
    
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    March 21, 2020 9:47pm
- Shaun the Sheep
  
  MW Craven “The Puppet Show”
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:43am
- Komata
  
  Maggie@0839
  
  If you want really light relief, might I suggest that you might find the ‘No.1 Ladies Detective Agency’ series by Alexander McCall Smith of interest and well worth your attention.
  
  If you can, try to make your first read the first volume in the series. It’s titled, (logically), the ‘No.1 Ladies Detective Agency’ sets the scene for what follows.
  
  I think you’ll enjoy them.
  
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  March 21, 2020 11:01am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Yeah, I did the first one…
    Not really my style.
    
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    March 21, 2020 1:25pm
    - Komata
      
      Maggi@1325
      
      Thank you; they’re not everyone’s cup of tea.
      
      If all else fails (and you’re REALLY desperate); there is always ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe’ (Douglas Adams)…
      
      ‘Desperation’ will sometimes cause one to read anything…
      
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      March 21, 2020 3:08pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        Oh grief,
        Not my cup of tea either( the tiny bits I heard broadcast were banal).
        
        ‘Desperation’ will sometimes cause one to read anything…
        I had read The Bible by age seven…. (must have been a long winter when mother was sick)
        
        Also once read a Mills & Boon – Nurse story – (very stormy afternoon confined in a flat).
        
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        March 21, 2020 3:38pm
- Fletch
  
  I haven’t read any books in a while, but I used to like the Flynn and Fletch books by Gregory McDonald.
  Fletch was made into a couple of movies with Chevy Chase (unfortunately?), and Flynn is about an Irish inspector working in the U.S.
  
  They meet in one of the novels called Confess, Fletch, which I have always liked. Worth a look. You can read the first few chapters on Google Books.
  
  https://books.google.com/books?id=BfRdDwAAQBAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&lpg=PP1&dq=confess%20fletch&pg=PT4#v=onepage&q=confess%20fletch&f=false
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:30pm
- Kiwi Dave
  
  If you like noir detective fiction then Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series (set in Oslo) and Stuart MacBride’s Logan McCrae and Ash Henderson series (set in Aberdeen) are highly readable.
  
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  March 21, 2020 1:27pm
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    I’ll try Nesbo again, now that I’ve spent some days in Oslo… (I gave up on him first time around).
    
    I’ve read some Anne Holt ( a more pleasant Norwegian Detective writer…. Lesbian heroine)
    Anne Holt was Min of Justice for a brief period in the 1990s.
    
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    March 21, 2020 1:38pm
    - Sacha
      
      Nesbo was good , but fizzled out by the end –
      
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      March 22, 2020 9:11am
- Michael NZ
  
  just found Patrick Goddard, english older period.
  biblio 18 titles.
  
  Like Scots and Scandi Noir
  Ian rankin, Jo Nesbo
  
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  March 21, 2020 2:10pm
Paulus Gnome

The Cabinet Manual perhaps?

Seem to be some hardly touched, in very good condition, available
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March 21, 2020 8:39am
- Biscuit
  
  Paulus, careful there.
  
  You’ll get paper cuts from the cutting-edge openness and transparency!
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:01am
- Humble Capitalist
  
  Filed in front of the secret panel that opens the chamber where the coalition agreement is stored
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:21am
- Sacha
  
  But is it a thriller, Paulus?
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:05am
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    We’ll never know. Appears to be like The Greater Auckland Bus Plan Into the Future Christmas edition; everybody knows its there but nobody has read it. One can make oblique references to the manual secure in the knowledge that it hasn’t been read therefore, making up anything they like to support their position with that knowledge that the other person has not read it.
    
    For $250K per annum and perks, I would read it, then eat it with lashings of HP sauce and ginger beer!
    
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    March 21, 2020 2:15pm
Blackface Twin Reverb

So, I’m about to build a house. My employer is optimistic re job security and future work pipeline.
Should I go/no go?
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March 21, 2020 8:41am
- davidp
  
  Go. I helped build a house once and it was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done. Especially since my regular work entails sitting behind a desk most of the day.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:37am
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  Nobody knows what the world will look like in 3 months. But there is huge risk that economy will be in toilet. If you are self financing then maybe. Otherwise most definitely not.
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:07pm
pdm

`The Cabinet Manual perhaps?’

Shane Jones will probably let you have his copy as he doesn’t need it.
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March 21, 2020 8:43am
- Wangas Feral
  
  The pages may be sticky though.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:12am
Andrei

More people will probably be murdered in the USA today than will die from complications due to corona virus

And yet that nation has gone in to lockdown to try and prevent the later
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March 21, 2020 8:46am
- Northland Wahine
  
  murder rate may drop. Cloud with a silver lining?
  
  Then again, how quickly will the police respond to a call out?
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:03pm
  - theoldbloke
    
    Nobody talks about the suicide rate.
    I am picking it will go up substantially when all this lock down/isolation close business crap kicks in
    
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    March 21, 2020 7:02pm
MrLovebucket

In the last few days Jacinduh and her boss have been begging kiwis abroad come back to NZ. Does that also extend to badly behaved kiwis who Australia are trying to kick out?
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March 21, 2020 8:47am
lazza

The Bible.

Try Genesis and Revelations for EG.

Now “That! ‘ll” spin your wheels.

All about “We are doomed” Verses “Always look on the bright side of life.

Go figger.
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March 21, 2020 8:47am
Maggy Wassilieff

Listen for dangerous words

Be alert for the use of the words extremism and terrorism. Be alive to the fatal notions of emergency and exception. Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.
– Timothy Snyder (2017)
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March 21, 2020 8:49am
- calendar girl
  
  Add the expression “hate speech”.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:13am
Misha Beattie

As many have commented, a key risk is ICU beds being overwhelmed. I don’t understand why we are not using the hiatus to massively expand ICU beds. If necessary, drawing on the military and any specialist health care manufacturers.

https://www.fphcare.com/nz/products/hospital-products/

Maybe these makeshift ICU beds will not be as good as the real deal but they might be good enough.

Perhaps I have missed something and the Government has this in hand.
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March 21, 2020 8:51am
- Ruawai
  
  Singapore controlled the outbreak by quarantining people positive to CV away from their homes, families and communities. Self isolation is not very secure.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:16am
  - Misha Beattie
    
    Yes I saw that. Seems totally under control in Singapore.
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:47am
    - Paulus Gnome
      
      In Singapore, one tends to follow the rules because breaking them has real consequences.
      
      New Zealand law is a collection of advisories, feelz and poi. No fing use unless you are one of the wallet class and something can be extracted.
      
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      March 21, 2020 2:18pm
    - curry4me
      
      Misha beattie: Taiwan handled it well too. we don’t hear much about it, as they’re not flavour of the month in the PRC.
      
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      March 21, 2020 4:27pm
  - niggly
    
    Good thinking, the govt could establish places for people to self-isolate like they did earlier with Kiwis staying at the Whangaparaoa military base (why hasn’t this been happening FinMin Robbo/Cindy).
    
    Keeps the community safe as you express, plus families that are unaffected will know their loved ones are being taken care of.
    
    Heck even incoming tourists would PAY to stay at some of these specially setup temporary facilities for 14 days … before they continue their holidays spending their $$ and keeping NZ tourism slightly afloat and people is jobs.
    
    (FFS! How hard is this! Excuse me again for saying this govt is incompetent!! All PR talk and no action, useless Labour can’t get with the programme without being told and caught in the headlights … so hey bring back John Key, English, Joyce, Finlayson or at least consult with them you useless CoL)!
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:55am
- DeepBlue
  
  F&P Healthcare do not need the government to tell them how to run their business. In fact the farther away from F&P the Govn stay, the better.
  
  F&P have been manufacturing 24 hours shifts and ramping up production for weeks now.
  
  Government advisors stay away. Their role is to ensure they give credit to healthboards to ensure the can buy all the essential products from gowns, masks, respirators etc from all suppliers.
  
  Other manufacturers should be looking at how they can retool, but that is extremely difficult short term.
  
  As a nation we should be proud F&P are keeping up manufacturing when the rest of the world’s supply chains are disrupted.
  
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  March 21, 2020 11:17am
- Michael NZ
  
  Don’t forget it’s the machines too!
  we have 80 odd in Wtn region incl op theatres.
  
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  March 21, 2020 2:12pm
- theoldbloke
  
  https://nationalpost.com/health/how-taiwan-and-singapore-managed-to-contain-covid-19-while-letting-normal-life-go-on
  
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  March 21, 2020 8:23pm
niggly

Cactus Kate says it well again – make her PM!
https://asianinvasion2019.blogspot.com/2020/03/viva-la-revolution-california-world-is.html
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March 21, 2020 8:51am
- Misha Beattie
  
  Yes she would be a great PM. Just think what she would do to under performing Ministers.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:48am
  - coge
    
    Defenestration comes to mind.
    
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    March 21, 2020 1:45pm
Manolo

The Communist Party of China (CCP) is directly responsible for this catastrophe, guilty of hiding the news about the virus.

The rulers in Beijing must be exposed for the criminals they are.
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March 21, 2020 9:24am
- MT_Tinman
  
  There is no f@#$ing catastrophe!
  
  Just a group of alarmist wankers (using half-wit politicians) bent on creating a catastrophe to further their world domination aims, starting with removing freedom from the masses.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:56am
TWEEDSE

UK chancellor Rishi Sunak has just announced any company who has laid of staff due to covid19 will have 80% of the staffs waged paid by the gouvernment for 3 months. Pretty much unprecedented. So the Conservative gouvernment looks after all the people and our socialist twits prioritises those on benefits who are a drain on the nations productivity. How very socialist.
All suffering is for the greater good.
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March 21, 2020 9:27am
MrTips

Random thinking and brief biology lesson.

Immune cells produce antibodies; the class of antibody known as IgM is the primary response then maturity and effective antibodies (those that bind antigens well and help kill the target) leads to IgG production. IgG is the gold you usually want.

We have recovered COVID-19 cases.

Why doesn’t the govt fund someone bleed a couple the recovered cases, isolate the immune producing cells and screen the IgM/IgG classes for effective COVID-19 binding. Then sequence the IgG and mass produce it for a therapy. It should work as the antibody is human (tolerance should be ok).

With modern genetic tech this could take less than 6 months, and trialed by Q4, 2020.

I may be incredibly naive but this seems doable.
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March 21, 2020 9:27am
- rangitoto
  
  https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/19/coronavirus-antibody-therapies-will-they-be-ready-in-time/
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:43am
TWEEDSE

I have started using my stash of plastic bags to do more hygienic shopping. How many people will die due to infections transfered by use of old multi use bags. Our virtual signaling rabble causing deaths. Bet you won’t read about that in the media. Or from the opposition.
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March 21, 2020 9:30am
- mikenmildagain
  
  How many people will die due to infections transfered by use of old multi use bags.
  
  None?
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:16am
Jack5

Authoritarians for abortion …

Andrew Little has an article in the “Aotearoa/New Zealand” ‘edition’ of the Guardian. It includes:

To achieve change Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and I asked our law commission to advise on shifting our abortion law from its criminal framework to a health one.

Now, Andy, you can abort the Pike River fiasco, and close the money hole.

In another article in the Guardian “Aotearoa/NZ” package is Chloe Warbrick writing about her self-isolation in her Wellington flat. She tells how “colleague and friend” Jan Logie placed her vote on abortion.

Angry Andy and Chloe’s articles (you won’t get them if you go to UK and international editions of the Guardian through VPN – you have to be picked up as logging in from NZ):

https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2020/mar/20/this-week-we-brought-new-zealands-abortion-laws-into-the-21st-century

For the bored, home bound – think of trying VPN. Tor is an easy one to use.
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March 21, 2020 9:33am
David Garrett

Well, as panic sets in all around the place, out here at the ranch the birds a singing and the sun is shining…we got some half decent rain here yesterday; not enough, but more than a token…I have a freezer full of meat and dozens of cans of tomatoes and red beans…things could be a whole lot worse.
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March 21, 2020 9:37am
- fernglas
  
  Can anything be worse than living off chili con carne?
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:41am
  - David Garrett
    
    fernglas: the trick now is building up the stock of chicken breasts to vary the diet…”panic buying” hasn’t been too pronounced in Helensville…tons of dunny paper on the shelves…you haven’t been able to buy more than a one kg bag of rice for weeks though…but the six kgs I now have on hand will last for a while.’
    
    I have found Cindy’s announcements on “panic buying” rather annoying….on the one hand, the advice is Prepare Prepare Prepare… the next minute she or one of the sidekicks is saying “No need to hoard”…Ah…isn’t “being prepared” (for any emergency) about having extra supplies on hand to get you through??
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:20am
- Wangas Feral
  
  A couple of weeks ago I bottled 40kg of tomatoes and onions. (a base for sauces, curries, stews, soups, etc).
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:14am
  - Wangas Feral
    
    Whoever downvoted me you are a twat. I live in the countryside – we bottle produce for use throughout the year. Something traditionally done with seasonal fruit and veges for ever. What the fuck is wrong with you?
    
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    March 21, 2020 11:03am
    - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
      
      Good on you. We had a shit tomato season this year – not enough water for the vege patch, and the pukes stole all my pears (well the survivors did…. hehehe! some of the little bastards are slow learners!)
      
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      March 21, 2020 1:34pm
    - Ed Snack
      
      Some posts just cry out for a “special” downtick ! It is the blog equivalent of the person who was detailed to ride just behind the Roman general on his triumphant procession through Rome, whispering in his ear that he was, after all, still a mortal.
      
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      March 21, 2020 3:06pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Off topic but Crown Royal bags. I was saving them, thought they were too good to throw out. Thought my partner might make them into a quilt or something.
      3 weeks ago I disposed of over 70 of them.
      Sorry
      
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      March 21, 2020 3:40pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Oh, that was for wangas feral
        
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        March 21, 2020 4:00pm
      - Wangas Feral
        
        They make great dice bags for us roleplayers.
        
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        March 21, 2020 10:09pm
- Paulus Gnome
  
  Wait until you come to use them, look at the labels and find the tomatoes and beans are canned in or, are produce of China! That’ll put a dent in anyone’s day!
  
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  March 21, 2020 2:23pm
TWEEDSE

As Franklin D. Roosevelt said in his inaugural speech and in the depths of the great depression “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. A timeless comment that particularly applies now. The damage done by people’s paniced response is far greater than the virus itself.
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March 21, 2020 9:47am
- Fletch
  
  FDR stuffed up the country though – turned a recession into a years-long depression because of the things he did.
  
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  March 21, 2020 2:48pm
  - guardianista
    
    And then he trusted Stalin over Churchill and wouldn’t give up power as he got sick. The end result was that the Eastern block countries (and Poland you must have the most sympathy for given what happened under Nazi occupation) suffered years of oppression under communism. The west won the war only to give it up at the end because FDR was a frail, arrogant man!
    
    Ranked my many as the best US president ever (at the time I think he gave people hope), come join me in the club that thinks he was close to the worst!
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:16pm
Yvette

A resident in Invercargill who was sick and did have contact with a confirmed case told Newshub she was told by staff at her medical clinic she didn’t qualify for a test.
When she insisted she was then told the clinic only had five swabs left. She eventually got the test in the clinic’s carpark, but only after she complained to the Health Ministry.
And a Christchurch GP told Newshub that “there aren’t enough swab kits in Canterbury for us to do them. We’ve rung the lab asking for more but they are being rationed.”
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has said there is enough to go around.
“We don’t have a shortage of swabs at the moment. We are just making sure that we can continue to have both the swabs and other supplies needed to keep testing everybody who needs to be tested.” [1]

Ardern has said there are enough facilities to test everyone who needs it.
Is that actually the truth?
So why the story (Magic Talk yesterday) that a health centre ordered 20 test kits and got one?
How much does each test cost the Government?

There are two problems it seems with what is being said –
the number of tests available and
the number of ventilators available.

“Know us by our deeds” – Ardern, Time cover
Yes, that is what we are trying to figure out

[1] https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/03/how-to-know-if-you-re-eligible-for-a-covid-19-test-in-new-zealand.html
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March 21, 2020 9:49am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Reading between the lines..
  
  We are rationing the tests..
  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/17/australia-must-dramatically-expand-its-coronavirus-testing-regime-leading-virologist-says
  
  If the US and Australia are having problems with accessing abundant supplies, then I’m pretty sure NZ currently has limited stock.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:36am
  - DeepBlue
    
    Once we can’t test, then every symptomatic person will be deemed to have Whuflu on a precautionary basis.
    
    All testing tells us is who to contact trace from, and who to ignore.
    
    At the point of no testing, the whole country goes into lockdown. We had 30,000 swabs and much less reagent/kits. At 1500 per day we basically shouldn’t be relying on testing anyhow.
    
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    March 21, 2020 11:24am
- Ed Snack
  
  With only 1-2% of tests of those at direct risk proving positive, the limitation isn’t (yet maybe) a huge problem.
  
  The panic response of everyone demanding a test is, at this stage, unreasonable. However when we can NZ should test widely.
  
  That person is probably at less than 1 chance in 1,000 of having the Corona virus.
  
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  March 21, 2020 3:09pm
Happychappy

Well l know there is a lot of people out there that just want to bag Simon Bridge’s every time he speaks but For Jacinda Ardern and the media to continue with saying Simon doesn’t have to make this Political is just clap trapping the message that they need Jacinda to be be the Prime Minister after the next Election. Just watch and listen to Jacinda Ardern every time she opens her mouth or appears at a children’s school she makes it political so she is a bigot to say otherwise. You look at Hillary Barry with the Scientist on last night on TV One if that wasn’t political and electioneering you would obviously be stupid to suggest that it wasn’t, but it is ok for Jacinda to do these things but against the rules for others like Simon Bridges to point out she is not always right.
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March 21, 2020 9:53am
- Sacha
  
  It’s the Opposition jabbing away that makes the government act and it’s the spurs that make the horse go faster if it’s being slow to react –
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:12am
- brett68
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Simon Bridges was never the right choice.
  He’s only there because he represents Team Jesus and Team Jesus is now the largest voting bloc in the National party.
  
  Prediction, unless Bridges is replaced, Labour could win outright in 2020.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:12am
  - Tall Man
    
    Oh dear, your prejudice is showing.
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:20am
  - Happychappy
    
    And I guess because you are on team wanker you have the right to judge.
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:36am
    - brett68
      
      Of course, I have a right to judge.
      
      Can you imagine what an utter disaster it would be if Labour won outright?
      
      Bridges has always sucked, he can’t think on his feet, he mangles everything he says, you can’t be an effective leader if you can’t get your point across clearly.
      
      This election is now all about covid-19, not the economy Cindy is in her element, Bridges looks like a fish out of water choking for oxygen.
      
      He was never the right leader even more so now.
      
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      March 21, 2020 10:55am
- septic skeptic
  
  Put more succinctly, nobody does hypocrisy better than the left.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:40am
alloytoo

Random impertinent questions?

Why are the number new infections per day growing by 3? (Mrs alloytoo asked that)

Why do those least at risk, those most financially able to sit on their arses at home, get 6 times the amount allocated Health care?
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March 21, 2020 10:01am
- Ian Boag
  
  Why do those least at risk, those most financially able to sit on their arses at home, get 6 times the amount allocated Health care?
  
  Can you run the logic and arithmetic of this one past me? Not being smart, I just don’t understand where these numbers come from.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:49am
  - Wired-one
    
    No one would ever accuse you of being smart Ian.
    
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    March 21, 2020 5:10pm
Suze Wainwright

Why has this govt not yet articulated a te ao Maori perspective on the coronavirus?
An absolute disgrace and clearly blatant racism and an affront to the treaty. It should have been top of their agenda…
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March 21, 2020 10:01am
- David Garrett
  
  Suze: You mean get some “Maori science” perspectives on the virus and its behaviour? Yep, that would be a good idea…
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:21am
  - Suze Wainwright
    
    Yes, well apparently Maori had found the answer to life, the universe and everything (prior to colonialism and according to RNZ).
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:45am
    - RW Capitalist
      
      Douglas Adams is either a time traveler or a plagiarist then?
      
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      March 21, 2020 1:10pm
      - Ed Snack
        
        Well, a cultural appropriator at least !
        
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        March 21, 2020 3:11pm
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    to be fair to suze, I have a bit of experience (as you might expect of a lesser deity of course) with the pasifika community.
    
    Fairly similar to the Italian one I would suggest. Poor housing, crowded, generations living together and health issues (diabetes, asthma etc), plus lots of cultural sharing and hugging etc.
    
    I hope this is being planned for, or Porirua, Newtown and South Auckland could get a bit messy!
    
    I would expect things to get very very
    
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    March 21, 2020 1:45pm
Inandout

Those who live out of packets and generally hang around and strip the tinned shelves must be mystified at fellow shoppers buying flour and baking soda. Thankfully they have not appeared to have discovered the milk section.
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March 21, 2020 10:01am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  There was a time when every child in NZ had cooking lessons (? at Intermediate) and learnt to make scones, pikelets, pancakes and omelettes.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:47am
  - Ian Boag
    
    At Hastings Int in the late 1950s (I was there) , the boys did woodwork and the girls did cooking. When the boys did metalwork, the girls had sewing ,,,,
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:52am
    - Michael NZ
      
      not at my Grammer school, turn and turn about alt terms.
      One term we did metalwork, woodwork and Tech Drawing, then the next Cookery and Needlework.
      The girls did the opposite.
      
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      March 21, 2020 2:19pm
    - Fletch
      
      Yep, we called it, ‘Manual’. We had to go to another school to do it. I don’t know if it did me much good. I still can’t cook too much…lol. I can make an omelet though.
      
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      March 21, 2020 2:45pm
    - Scooter
      
      Ours was called manual training (sewing and cooking) we used to be taken by bus to the lessons in Newmarket. I’ll never forget the smell of the hops being brewed at Lion Brewery, good old days.
      
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      March 22, 2020 1:28am
  - Ed Snack
    
    I’m with Ian, albeit a little later on the time scale. Boys did Woodwork and Metalwork, Girls did Cooking and Sewing. And generally quite happily, though we did as I recall have one girl who did woodwork by request, and it wasn’t a huge issue.
    
    I had the small square wooden table (with bent metal magazine rack underneath) that was our final project for many years and it did sterling duty around the home until someone slipped one day and fell on it and smashed the legs off it.
    
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    March 21, 2020 3:15pm
    - Scooter
      
      Hope it was the legs of the table?
      
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      March 22, 2020 1:29am
  - Komata
    
    Maggy@1047
    
    FWIW: I was always taught that as long as you had Salt, Flour, Sugar and Coffee (or in NZ, Tea), you would always survive, as you had the basics and in respect of veges it was a matter of Orange, White and Green.
    
    Evidently such things are no longer taught…
    
    Perhaps they should be?
    
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    March 21, 2020 3:18pm
- chwaga
  
  No flour or sugar at our local countdown this morning. Every thing with few exceptions limited to 2 of one product with any over being returned to the shelves by the staff.
  
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  March 21, 2020 11:35am
  - Ed Snack
    
    Last night the supermarket was largely denuded of soap and hand sanitizer, tinned goods, pasta, rice, and flour. But tolerably well stocked with toilet paper, and a very well stocked alcohol aisle. Fresh products were all unaffected.
    
    They did have limitations on a lot of items but it varied. Two for many but up to 4 for things like tinned tomatoes for example. Pretty orderly and not a lot of panic shopping in evidence, but the empty shelves did show that quite a few people had been stocking up.
    
    Supermarkets now looking for extra staff to restock !
    
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    March 21, 2020 3:19pm
- andydownhere
  
  Limit of 4 litres of milk in our supermarkets, until it sold out
  
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  March 21, 2020 7:50pm
mikenmildagain

Well, it’s all Covid-19 comments this morning. But there is so much more happening today. It’s:
– International Colour Day
– International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
– International Day of Forests
– World Down Syndrome Day
– World Poetry Day
– World Puppetry Day
I’m just working on a poem to combine these themes.
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March 21, 2020 10:08am
- David Garrett
  
  There’s an “International Colour Day”?? Really?
  
  World Down Syndrome Day is no big surprise…
  
  Is there an International Club Foot Day?
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:26am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Let me Google that for you:
    https://globalclubfoot.com/world-clubfoot-day/
    
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    March 21, 2020 10:31am
    - Maggie Pie
      
      I wonder if they’re lack toes intolerant.
      
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      March 21, 2020 11:47am
      - Paulus Gnome
        
        Good one MP!
        
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        March 21, 2020 2:28pm
      - Komata
        
        Maggie @1147
        
        Tardish, ‘Oi’!!
        
        Very clever. Thank you.
        
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        March 21, 2020 3:20pm
  - Ed Snack
    
    And Up Syndrome is just a lousy movie…
    
    Actually unfair comment, it’s rated reasonably well.
    
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    March 21, 2020 3:23pm
MickeyD

This one for the smart ones among us:

1. Is it ok to ban certain countries from entering your country due to the virus?
– Not everyone from these countries carry the virus
– The virus kills
– A cure for the virus will be developed
– The virus severely affects the economy in a negative way

2. Is it ok to ban certain countries from entering your country due to crime?
– Not everyone from these countries are criminals
– Crime kills
– There is no cure for crime
– Crime affects the economy in a positive way (more law enforcement needed, insurance companies profit and new goods need to be purchased to restore stolen goods. Crime pays!

What is essentially the difference?
The way I see it CRIME is worse than the VIRUS yet when Trump closed his borders to certain countries the liberal world exploded. However now it is fine to close ones borders!
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March 21, 2020 10:23am
- Batman
  
  It is generally the case that immigrants turn out to be harder working and have lower levels of offending than those in the country they move to.
  
  The Fox News and Trump can always find examples of a crime committed by an immigrant because there will never be absolutely zero cases.
  
  The worst crimes here are generally committed by Kiwis. With one notable bogan from Australia excepted….
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:49am
  - Brian Marshall
    
    Illegal immigrants commit crime 100% of the time by virtue of their immigration status. You can not mix up the legal migrants with the illegal migrants, which open border proponents often do. Figures from the USA are unreliable due to the variation of reporting by their individual states, but illegal immigrants do seem to have a much higher rate of offending than native born citizens. Legal migrants seem to have lower rate of offending than native born citizens, which would be what we should see if you’re being selective about who you accept into the country.
    
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    March 21, 2020 11:42am
    - MickeyD
      
      The question went from closing a border to legal and illegal immigrants. Do we get legal and illegal virus carriers?
      
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      March 21, 2020 3:37pm
  - Jack5
    
    Batman answers a generalisation with another generalisation.
    
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    March 21, 2020 11:54am
    - MickeyD
      
      No generalisation from my side, a simple question on why one is frowned upon and one is accepted.
      
      Is the one frowned upon in NZ because Kiwis have ABSOLUTELY no idea what it is like to manage a border with a country/countries that shall we say have ‘unsavory’ elements, not all but many!
      
      Is it ok if we just let in 1 coronavirus person and 1 criminal or would it be great if we could block just one of each. Would you allow a person with coronavirus into your house, and would you allow a criminal into your house?
      
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      March 21, 2020 2:27pm
  - MickeyD
    
    @batman, immediately you pull the racial lever!
    That still does not answer my question, ignoring race etc, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE between the two scenarios.
    Both close borders for a specific reason and punishes EVERYONE not just the carrier/criminal.
    
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    March 21, 2020 2:23pm
    - Jack5
      
      One thing about Batman: he’s no closet Liberal.
      
      Batty’s out the door, down the passage, out of the house, through the gate, and roaring down the street in the Batmobile with his message of tolerance, peace, love, and a porous border. ?
      
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      March 21, 2020 3:46pm
  - Ed Snack
    
    Yet the special class of Muslim refugees allowed into Australia over the past 10 years turn out to have an unemployment rate much higher than the average. The Somalians in Australia have a rate over 25% compared to around 8% overall.
    
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    March 21, 2020 3:28pm
    - Batman
      
      Probably thanks to Australia being a racist shithole and being stigmatised as refugees (in the case of the Somalians)
      
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      March 21, 2020 8:32pm
MT_Tinman

World Puppetry Day

Given the way a few alarmists are playing the world’s pollies I’d suggest every day lately qualifies.
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March 21, 2020 10:51am
- Paulus Gnome
  
  That is World Muppetry Day.
  
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  March 21, 2020 2:29pm
MCos

I know a lot of people on this forum think Kim Hill is hell bent on destroying Western Civilization, or whatever, but I thought this interview was very informative.
She talked to an actual expert in these matters, not some pensioner, like me, who’s read a bit of stuff in the NYT.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018739516/dr-chris-smith-surface-anxiety-and-covid-19-treatment-trials
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March 21, 2020 10:56am
- kowtow
  
  Is he an expert like the climate alarmists are experts?
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:08pm
Im Right

Batman, you missed out a wee bit…’the worst crimes here are committed by maori’….FIFY
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March 21, 2020 11:09am
Maggy Wassilieff

It’s all go folks…

Coronavirus: 14 new cases in New Zealand, pushing total up to 53

Looks like community transmission is happening.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/120464350/ministry-of-health-update-on-new-coronavirus-cases-in-new-zealand
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March 21, 2020 11:18am
- Tony Stuart
  
  Yep, the horse has bolted, sadly. I suspect the PM will be announcing regional lockdowns when she makes her next statement at midday. The D-G of Health was careful not to say which of the 14 new cases are not travel related.
  
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  March 21, 2020 11:26am
  - MrTips
    
    AKL and Wairarapa by the look of it.
    
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    March 21, 2020 11:38am
- MrTips
  
  But…but…R told us nothing to worry about. Scaremongering.
  
  Muppet.
  
  12 1
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  March 21, 2020 11:38am
- R
  
  And 1500 tested, so another 14 cases represents less than a 1% infection rate. So just over 99% of the high risk group were not infected. But continue with the scaremongering…that will help considerably.
  
  9 14
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  March 21, 2020 11:38am
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    You are despicable. 1000’s are going to die here and you are running propaganda lines for the idiots who have bought it upon us.
    
    8 2
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    March 21, 2020 12:33pm
  - Tall Man
    
    However many more people than 1500 wanted to be tested.
    
    4 1
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    March 21, 2020 1:29pm
  - rightoverlabour
    
    I really hope you don’t get this disease, but if you do it will be your pig ignorant attitude that will be your downfall.
    
    4 2
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    March 21, 2020 1:34pm
    - Ed Snack
      
      But he’s right with the numbers. Testing in NZ has positive results from the tests in the 1-2% range and we are testing mostly those with risk factors such as overseas travel or contact with those who have been overseas. Plus at least some who have symptoms but no obvious risks.
      
      It is obvious at least to me, that the most likely additional cases we will detect from community spread will have some link to known cases or exposure to someone with a link. Or possibly a link to, say, a Chinese person who travelled well before the travel bans but after it started to spread there, and is asymptomatic and possibly still here.
      
      We do need to ramp up testing even further along with continued tracing of contacts, but there is still a reasonable chance of containment in NZ.
      
      I reckon the stance for now is be active and prepared but not fearful.
      
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      March 21, 2020 3:37pm
- Chuck Bird
  
  Comdade Ardern will be making an anoucement on TV3 at noon.
  
  12 4
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  March 21, 2020 11:59am
  - kowtow
    
    I love the careful background imagery , MJSavage , an indigenous carving and lots of patriotic colour.
    
    So is Cinders a left wing nationalist.
    
    12 1
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    March 21, 2020 12:05pm
  - Suze Wainwright
    
    Sky News saying a secret Aussie trial treating with a combination of malaria and HIV drugs has proved successful
    
    7 0
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    March 21, 2020 12:05pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Just watched that. What did she actually say? Usual waffle. My head hurts
    
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    March 21, 2020 12:11pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Now we have some bimbo saying ‘ just assume you have it and act accordingly. Fuck off, stop the panic bullshit
      
      16 4
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      March 21, 2020 12:13pm
      - Jack5
        
        Jacinderella was born under a lucky star.
        
        The official commemoration of the mosques massacres is abandoned – but then comes Covid-19.
        
        Her “addresses to the people” are to be regular, like President F.D. Roosevelt’s famous radio fireside chats.
        
        “Please do stay tuned as we share daily updates,” Jacinderella said, in the slowish tempo of the Queen’s speeches.
        
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        March 21, 2020 12:54pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Alert lever 2. How far from alert level 3? Don’t know. So how do we know we are at level 2?
      
      13 4
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      March 21, 2020 12:16pm
      - greybeard
        
        My guess is that they will go to level 3 very soon.
        They had to create these levels so that they had what seemed like a logical reason to close schools etc.
        
        9 1
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        March 21, 2020 12:21pm
      - KevO'Brien
        
        Are they following Tedros, the former Finance Adviser to China, who now fronts the WHO.
        
        6 1
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        March 21, 2020 2:52pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        When they get to level 3, they will be thinking this is too close to level 4. Then it will not be on a scale of 1 to 4, it will be on a scale of 1 to 20.
        You may have seen this bunch of Govt losers move the goalposts before (housing, trees, poverdy, roadworks)
        
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        March 21, 2020 3:36pm
    - Hard Cheese
      
      All this Level 1,2,3,4 stuff was clearly just invented last week to make it sound like they’ve got some sort of structured plan going. If they really did have one we’d have heard about it 58 days ago
      
      26 5
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      March 21, 2020 12:18pm
      - Ed Snack
        
        Actually no, it is standard stuff.
        
        3 0
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        March 21, 2020 3:38pm
      - KevO'Brien
        
        Who invented it–Twyford or Clarke?
        
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        March 21, 2020 4:42pm
- Andrei
  
  Why is anyone surprised?
  
  It was always inevitable – new varieties of corona virus have been appearing and sweeping the planet since the beginning of time.
  
  The more benign the variant the more quickly it will propagate
  
  This is why I find this whole situation bizarre
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:58pm
Monique Watson

Community transmission possible. Who’da thunk?
16 0
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March 21, 2020 11:20am
Maggie Pie

My partner just got back from the Supermarket. He only went there to get a couple of items. However they were totally out of Tip Top Supersoft and Panadol Mini Caps. Couldn’t help but note the place was heaving with mask-wearing Asians, trolleys stacked to overflowing.
When he came back first thing he said to me, “If there is a God, he needs to let coronavirus do its thing”

Just saying.
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March 21, 2020 11:23am
- JibberJabber
  
  LoL, I`ve stocked up on Bundaberg Lemonade, Orange FruJus and Rum and Honey Pickled onions.
  TBH, I`d been stocking up on shithouse paper and Handy towels since before the election just in case what could come to be, came to be, a LabourFirstGreen coalition of the damned that was gonna lead us into a 21st century Depression.
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:36pm
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    I’ve been stocking up on shot gun shells.
    
    I don’t need to stock up on anything as long as my neighbour hasn’t got a shotgun.
    
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    March 21, 2020 2:33pm
    - Maggie Pie
      
      Supermarkets and Gun Dealers – my partner reckons they’ve never had it sooo good 😀
      
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      March 21, 2020 3:54pm
Paulus

“WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER”
Now vote for me !
17 1
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March 21, 2020 11:25am
Monique Watson

It was obvious from some simple research that the climb in cases of transmission or the upward slope of the curve starts way before community transmission is proven.
If you have two cases then you probably have 1% of the population infected with Covid-19:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost.com/2020/03/13/ohio-health-officials-believe-100k-in-state-have-coronavirus/amp/

Borders should have closed when the US closed the borders to Europe. Schools should be on early break.
That neuronally deficient figurehead running the Government is taking every action too late. Remember when she scolded the media for causing panic buying? “We’ve got this”, she said. Not so.
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March 21, 2020 11:34am
- Hollyfield
  
  The problem with closing schools is that potentially grandparents, who are more at risk, will end up looking after children, and healthcare workers will be at home looking after children.
  I did hear that if schools in Australia closed, 25% of healthcare workers would not be at work.
  Not at easy situation. I’m glad I’m not the one making the decisions, because without a crystal ball it’s hard to say just what the right decision is on any given day.
  By the way, I work in a school.
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:30pm
  - rightoverlabour
    
    Hi so do I. The problem is that it is better to close now with fewer cases than later when the cases have increased exponentially. At that point more grandparents will be at risk. The health care workers should be farming their kids out to relatives in any event as they will be the highest risk in the community in terms of infecting their kids.
    
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    March 21, 2020 1:15pm
    - Hollyfield
      
      There’s an interesting graph in a report from the Imperial College of London on this page https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12318192&&ref=topbox
      
      According to that report, closing schools is the second highest risk in mitigation strategy scenarios, second only to doing nothing.
      
      As I said, I’m glad I’m not the one making the potentially life-threatening decisions.
      
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      March 21, 2020 3:17pm
  - septic skeptic
    
    In UK and they propose to keep schools open for kids of healthcare workers and other essential people.
    
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    March 21, 2020 1:18pm
- JerJer
  
  Jacinda does not listen to advice. This was obviously the case and the research is readily available and has been for some weeks. In about 14 days we will have a another state of the nation outline how two weeks prior we actually had 40000 people carrying this thing (mostly with no symptoms). Head will be tilted, frowny sad face…..and we will move to level 3…
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:34pm
R

Meanwhile: “There were 1500 tests for Covid-19 done on Friday, up from 1000 on Thursday.“

But commenters on here said that Jacinda was lying when she said NZ could handle that many tests. No doubt they will apologise to the PM.

https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/120464350/ministry-of-health-update-on-new-coronavirus-cases-in-new-zealand
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March 21, 2020 11:35am
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  So why weren’t they doing them weeks ago as practically everyone was screaming for – they were only testing 10 a day!! They have opened the gates and let the horse bolt and no amount of your (paid?) spin will alter the scale of the calamity they have unleashed on NZ.
  
  It didn’t have to be this way.
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:29pm
- Tall Man
  
  The problem is that they are severely restricting access to the test so we will not see anytime soon the extent of the spread.
  
  The actual number is not the issue, it’s the shortfall.
  
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  March 21, 2020 1:26pm
- All_on_Red
  
  How is that Ventilator stocktake going?
  When are all the new ones they have ordered arriving?
  Monday?
  
  I mean, surely they have ordered more.
  
  20 3
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  March 21, 2020 1:27pm
  - barnacle bill
    
    @ AOR.
    No country, apart from China has enough of the ventilators, even the US has people going to China to explore the chances of securing more.
    
    NZ is not alone in this regard.
    
    7 2
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    March 21, 2020 2:26pm
  - Ed Snack
    
    I bet they have, but their chances of getting more than a token number is not that good.
    
    Though if one believes the Chinese figures and that they have stopped transmission (hint, I don’t), then maybe they have a few to spare.
    
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    March 21, 2020 3:42pm
    - barnacle bill
      
      @ Ed S
      I am with you there Ed..
      
      I think Trust and China will not go together for many years to come.
      
      https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/business/coronavirus-ventilator-shortage.html?searchResultPosition=1
      
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      March 21, 2020 6:58pm
Wired-one

I cannot believe this inept government is continuing to push through with this minimum wage rise. Add in the beneficiary rise and pike river added funding and you can start to see just how idiotic this lot are. When all the Covid-19 business settles down a bit, who do you think is going to pay for all this borrowing? Middle to high income earners that’s who. Ardern will try getting through this next election and then hit us with higher taxes all in the name of doing our bit for the country. Anyone who cannot see this coming is naive.
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March 21, 2020 11:41am
- RW Capitalist
  
  We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
  
  Winston Churchill
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:40pm
- kowtow
  
  Minimum wage?
  The way gubmints have re acted to this Wuflu , literally crashing the world’s economy , there’ll be no fucking wages to pay .
  
  But there’ll be plenty of taxes to be extracted from the “rich”.
  
  This could get very nasty.
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:42pm
Happychappy

It was always going to happen with there lax border control and ignorance at how many should be tested when the message from those at the top were saying test,test,test. Even now the Prime Minister is saying they can stop it in its tracking the countries people would listen to the Government even though a lot of people don’t trust the Health Minister after his Meningococcal and Measles failures. The total of those affected daily is larger each day so the has bolted meaning it will be harder to contain no matter what the Government decides to do.
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March 21, 2020 11:53am
RW Capitalist

Question:
If you shout fire, when there is none, and people die in the ensuing panic, you are charged over their deaths.
What happens to the media and unscrupulous politicians, when they shout (via every media possible)…………C O V I D _ 19?
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March 21, 2020 11:58am
- mikenmildagain
  
  You mean shouting ‘fire’ when there is an actual fire?
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:35pm
- MCos
  
  Two questions in return.
  Have you ever heard of someone in NZ shouting Fire and people being killed in an ensuing stampede and the shouter being charged?
  People are dying by the thousands directly as a result of Covid-19.
  Are you suggesting all the warnings and precautions are exaggerated? How do you know?
  
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  March 21, 2020 3:27pm
SB 2

In these straightned times a bit of levity is in order,

TECH INSIDER

A man used a drone to take his dog for a walk while he was in lockdown because of the coronavirus

https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/news/drone-walks-dog-amid-coronavirus-lockdown-in-cyprus/vi-BB11qL87
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March 21, 2020 11:59am
JerJer

Nice speech. Wrong information. We are at level 4 Jacinda…..it’s out of her control already, the graph is steeper that Italy already. I’ve pulled my kids from school already. Can’t wait for them to realise they have screwed up yet again. Enjoy your last six months Jacinda.
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March 21, 2020 12:14pm
- rockape
  
  She will milk this all the way to the election dominating the news. Simon Bridges and national will be sidelined by the press. Any criticism he makes will be deemed politicizing a disaster so its hard to see national getting traction. Watch for door knocking and meetings to be banned. This election will be a disaster with low turnout. I dont think national can win.
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:52pm
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Things might change if folks start dying…and shops/pharmacies run out of essentials… and unemployed folks find muck-ups in their benefits.
    
    The news media won’t be able to convince us that everything is being well-managed
    
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    March 21, 2020 5:46pm
Shut the hell up you Fascist!

Jacinda’s performance reminded me of a Thunderbirds puppet.

Lady Penelope? I think not. LP had class (and a pink Rolls Royce).
15 2
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March 21, 2020 12:19pm
calendar girl

She smiled her way through most of her address to the nation. How is that designed to persuade us to take seriously her critical messages & advice?
24 4
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March 21, 2020 12:19pm
- JibberJabber
  
  I can see why the left love her, she talks at them at their level… kindergarten school.
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:27pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  I can only imagine what you would be saying if she frowned too much.
  
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  March 21, 2020 12:36pm
James Stephenson

Well this will be an interesting experiment. Watch and see how our media praise Jacinda for a response that is, in essence, exactly what the UK has been attempting (with added numbers)…which they’ve been ridiculing Boris for, for the last week.
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March 21, 2020 12:21pm
UrbanNeocolonialist

The people who will be overwhelming our hospitals and dying in 2-3 weeks are already infected – just not symptomatic yet. Game over.
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March 21, 2020 12:31pm
Suze Wainwright

So there’s a non-travel related case in the Wairarapa apparently. Fantastic!
Masterton??
Carterton??
Greytown??
Featherston??
Martinborough??
Eketahuna??
Pahiatua??
Castlepoint??
Did the person contract the case in Wellington and they’re a frequent traveller on the packed commuter train???
More details please…
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March 21, 2020 12:40pm
- waripori
  
  Gossip says Carterton. Not a commuter. May have been infected at the Auckland concert.
  
  Probably turn out none of this is true but you know how small towns are.
  
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  March 21, 2020 1:43pm
  - waripori
    
    Some confirmation of comment above.
    https://cdc.govt.nz/covid19/
    
    Carterton District Council worker. Seems has been in isolation and not at work for some time.
    
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    March 21, 2020 1:59pm
    - Ed Snack
      
      Interesting, I wonder why they were in isolation if no known risks. Possibly just from symptoms.
      
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      March 21, 2020 3:44pm
- Paulus Gnome
  
  The CoL doesn’t do detail, it is up to you to ‘read between the lines’
  
  Are you not taking notes when Her Virtuesignallingness speaks?
  
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  March 21, 2020 2:37pm
- Suze Wainwright
  
  To be fair, the details and circumstances have now been made public.
  
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  March 21, 2020 4:22pm
oldfella

A few years back I knew someone who ran a company making generic drugs in this country. Do those companies still exist? If so, I hope the gummint has one or more churning out chloroquine which has been around for 70 years and will certainly be a generic by now. Really promising for treating people with the Wuhan/Cornona virus, and better to start making it here than try and buy supplies internationally, only to find the cupboard is bare.
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March 21, 2020 12:44pm
- peterwn
  
  See https://douglas.co.nz/
  However it would depend on whether they have the capability to manufacture it and what raw materials are required.
  
  9 0
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  March 21, 2020 2:20pm
  - oldfella
    
    Do they actually make any drugs here? That link is not clear. I wonder if they just do research here and import everything sold locally from places like China? Anyone know?
    
    4 0
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    March 21, 2020 5:19pm
    - Jack5
      
      The only NZ stock exchange company making drugs I’m aware of BLIS Technologies. It makes products based on strains of Streptococcus salivarius, which the company describes as proteins called “bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances”.
      
      BLIS, small and Dunedin-based, has struggled on for about 20 years to create enthusiasm among New Zealand’s property-loving investors, and the shares now trade at just 6c.
      
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      March 21, 2020 8:15pm
      - artemisia
        
        BLIS has a new product that combines throat and gut biome probiotics.
        
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        March 22, 2020 7:52am
UrbanNeocolonialist

Excellent article explaining likely progression and policy options from here on in.

https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-the-hammer-and-the-dance-be9337092b56
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March 21, 2020 12:45pm
JibberJabber

Ha ha , currently getting told off by the missus cos` I gave away the 20 year old bread maker that we never used to the Hospice Shop about 4 months ago…
15 0
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March 21, 2020 12:57pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  I make single-rise bread every 2nd/3rd day… easy peasy with cheap yeast powder or a sour-dough bug.
  (I can’t get commercial compressed yeast blocks in Gisborne).
  Bread-makers seem a major hassle.
  
  just fit the yeast rising, then dough rising around the rest of day’s activities.
  There’s tons of you-tube examples of making simple /easy breads.
  
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  March 21, 2020 5:57pm
niggly

Labour rolls out Jacinda for the only thing she is good at (if one puts aside the patronising talking-down-to-children tone she uses), yes good to have alert level system thank you, but why has this taken so long to enact and why as others here have pointed out it isn’t very specific when a particular region is mentioned?
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March 21, 2020 1:31pm
rightoverlabour

On another note I received this

“No doubt you saw Andrew Little’s comments about forging ahead with hate speech legislation to get it passed before this year’s general election. He told Stuff.co.nz that “The review of our hate speech laws are in the final stages. I expect there will be an announcement in a matter of weeks.”.

The Government is not only proceeding with non-essential legislation, but actually doing it at breakneck speed.

With COVID-19 events developing so quickly, we thought Mr Little would see sense and press pause on these reforms. But that’s not happening elsewhere. On Thursday, Mr Little slid through Parliament a new Bill to give some prisoners the right to vote. Despite the pandemic, Mr Little has given the Justice Select Committee just over two months to consider the bill. As David Seymour said: Two months isn’t enough time for a select committee to consider legislation under normal circumstances. We’re currently facing a public health emergency. This is the worst imaginable time to shorten public consultation on lawmaking. It amounts to making laws with no public consultation at all.

With Mr Little still saying he wants to pass these new laws this year, and that our current laws that dealt with hate speech are “woefully inadequate”. That’s why he’s fast-tracked a widespread review of New Zealand’s existing legislation and is deciding whether hate crime should be established as its own separate offence, as it is in the United Kingdom.

Pandemic or not, we must stay vigilant.

If Mr Little tries to pass hate speech law as he is about changes to the Electoral Act, free speech will be in real trouble.

While it will be close to impossible to fundraise during this time, we will be throwing everything we’ve got to ensure the Government is held to account, and the proposed laws get proper media and public scrutiny.”

Fuck you, Andrew Little. ( while I can still say this)
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March 21, 2020 1:51pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Over 70s advised to self-isolate….. but not Winston

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/03/winston-peters-74-won-t-have-to-self-isolate-just-yet-jacinda-ardern.html

You gotta laff.
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March 21, 2020 1:52pm
- RW Capitalist
  
  If he had done the responsible thing and “self isolated” (from politics) 10 years ago, we wouldn’t be in the trouble we are now.
  
  16 2
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  March 21, 2020 1:57pm
- Tricati
  
  Winston’s immune system is embalmed in alcohol so Covid-19 has no show of infecting the rat.
  
  15 1
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  March 21, 2020 2:16pm
- septic skeptic
  
  I will need one of those military models to hold on to my labrador!
  
  7 0
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  March 21, 2020 2:47pm
  - Tall Man
    
    He’ll just eat it, he’s a labrador that’s what they do ?
    
    3 0
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    March 21, 2020 5:42pm
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  Mrs. Mainwaring has banned me from going to the club. I said I’ll stop going out when Winston does.
  That didn’t work. Lucky I wont the oyster raffle last night.
  
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  March 21, 2020 7:45pm
RW Capitalist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUmKUWzbDxg
Where have all the cowboys gone?
Watched an interview with the last man to step on the moon.
He said they were landing to fast, so the burned the engine to slow down, then they shut it down suddenly as the back pressure would blow up the engine (stranding them on the moon).
All he said was “that’ll ruin your whole day”.
Jim Lovell (Apollo 13) just said, “Houston, we have a problem”
No panic, no hysteria, just calm calculated response and action to fix the problem.
In light of Covid-19. Where are those people today?
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March 21, 2020 1:55pm
- Prince
  
  What they needed was more kindness.
  
  4 0
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  March 21, 2020 3:42pm
TWEEDSE

Auckland Council reports 55 staff members are in self isolation who have been on overseas travel.

Why are any Auckland Council on overseas trips when they are a local council?
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March 21, 2020 1:59pm
RW Capitalist

My wife has PAH and congestive heart failure.
She has been house bound on Oxygen for the past 6 months.
I am the danger to her.
Got the flu jab early, yesterday, $45.
My suggestion, do what you can, DON’T get caught watching the breathless panic over Covid 19, as their is very little you can do, and get the much deadlier Flu.
My advice, get the flu jab….NOW.
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March 21, 2020 2:02pm
- fightingtemeraire
  
  RW
  
  On Th my Drs gave out 108. Yesterday I was there 30 mins early and they had started and when I left at 1230 they had 40 waiting
  
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  March 21, 2020 4:58pm
emmess

Hands up, who saw the speech from the Primary School Minister this afternoon?
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March 21, 2020 2:05pm
- Prince
  
  I took one look and saw the portrait of MJ Savage in the background – decided it was totally inappropriate to politicise this crisis, and she was hitting a bum note. No doubt the media is giving her a roasting, right ?
  
  12 1
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  March 21, 2020 3:40pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Yes, my head still hurts from that
  
  10 2
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  March 21, 2020 4:51pm
Gravelroad

Advice please-
How exactly does a commenter get off the moderation list?
I have tried twice now – last weekend being the most recent.
Contacted the blog owner using my name, address etc etc.
I have been a commenter on here for a good few years now and have never, as far as I am aware, caused any problems – yet here I am, still being moderated. A comment I posted on another thread more than an hour ago has still not appeared.
Am over it.
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March 21, 2020 2:06pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Change ‘gravelroad’ to your real name. Worked for me
  
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  March 21, 2020 4:53pm
  - emmess
    
    Why should we need to use our real name?
    Time to get rid of it
    
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    March 21, 2020 6:59pm
RW Capitalist

I hear there is a theory out there, that a malaria drug (existed since the 30’s) may be effective against covid 19.
BUT the hypothesis is:
1. Covid 19 is having a much higher impact on countries who have eradicated malaria.
2. Is having a much lower impact in countries with Malaria, as they are taking the anti malaria medication.
Sounds a bit thin, but surely if there is a simple answer to be had we should at least try it.
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March 21, 2020 2:06pm
- Ed Snack
  
  The news is better than that. The first clue was that countries that currently have endemic malaria are (so far anyway) very little affected by this virus. The correlation (note not necessarily related to causation!) is remarkably high.
  
  As a result at first one and then now at least two other small tests have been carried out. The one I’ve read up on had something like 80 patients with three options, placebo, chloroquine only, and chloroquine plus an antibiotic. Those receiving the last option had a very high virus clearance rate (close to 100% after 6 days), the second had a significant but lower response and none of the controls cleared the virus. I believe but haven’t verified that the other two trials have shown similar results.
  
  Larger scale trials are underway or being organised, including at least one in NZ.
  
  If this results stands (and after three trials I think the chances are quite good) then this panic will end quite quickly.
  
  I think this is grounds for some optimism, but we can’t yet conclude that we have a definite cure.
  
  Also may be harder for NZ to ramp up treatment as although we will have some Chloroquine (or related derivatives like hydroxychloroquine) for travellers who return with malarial symptoms, we won’t have much and world wide demand is likely to be huge; similarly the antibiotic could be in short supply and you need that for best results. However these drugs are able to be readily synthesised and don’t need any licensing.
  
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  March 21, 2020 3:57pm
- Suze Wainwright
  
  Sky News has reported promising results from secret Aussie tests treating COVID-19 patients with combined malaria and anti-HIV drugs
  
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  March 21, 2020 4:03pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Oh, For Fucks sake!!!!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/120465598/coronavirus-creative-nz-announces-multimilliondollar-help-for-artists
25 1
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March 21, 2020 2:12pm
- Tricati
  
  Yep, and the tradesman running his building/plumbing/electrical business can’t stay home, and has staff to look after, and he is told ‘his balance sheet’ should be able to cover the shortfall.
  This government really does hate business.
  
  26 3
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  March 21, 2020 2:19pm
- rightoverlabour
  
  Maggy, such strong language! But I entirely agree with the sentiment. Where should money be prioritized? In keeping essential services going, but in NZ that seems to be artists and Beneficiaries. Morons, the lot of them.
  
  20 3
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  March 21, 2020 2:26pm
- Monique Watson
  
  Lots of organ grinders to patronize Maggy. I’m surprised it’s only 5 mill.
  
  And the cannabis industry will be doing a roaring trade with this announcement: The Finance Minister will continue to top up the package as needed:
  
  https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/03/government-willing-to-extend-wage-subsidies-if-demand-outstrips-5-billion.html
  
  11 3
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  March 21, 2020 2:32pm
- Jack5
  
  Creative NZ is a candidate for No. 2 in the ranking of New Zealand’s worst rorts.
  
  The Pike River money hole would have to be No. 1.
  
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  March 21, 2020 3:41pm
- MCos
  
  The other day I heard a woman on the radio who makes a living as a self employed comedian, mc, that sort of thing.
  Previously she had months of bookings in her diary.
  Now they’ve all gone . . . .
  
  That’s just one example of the hundreds of people that scratch out a living entertaining the multitudes both here and Oz (where they can no longer go anyway)
  
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  March 21, 2020 3:47pm
- Tall Man
  
  Very very high on the woke virtue signalling tree, support for artists who are so talented nobody wants to buy their shit during an overblown “pandemic” that is guaranteed to have no effect on them at all….
  
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  March 21, 2020 7:00pm
Fletch

Just put through an order to the supermarket. Soonest they could deliver is this Friday, the 27th. May have to pop out before then. I was halfway through ordering a cake when all of a sudden every single cake and slice became unavailable. I guess they are not sealed enough…
8 2
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March 21, 2020 2:32pm
greybeard

Hey Mods !
My comment at 12:21pm today is still in moderation at 14:43pm.
Come on !
11 5
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March 21, 2020 2:43pm
- greybeard
  
  Why on earth would anyone downtick this comment ?
  Sick.
  
  6 2
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  March 21, 2020 4:25pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Mods in the checkout lane at the supermarket. Taking fucking ages. No onions? no beef mince, no good steak. Plenty of toilet paper.
  No fucking bread. I want my Molenberg, expensive but I like it. Frozen veg got cleaned out again by 1.30pm.
  Phuck
  
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  March 21, 2020 5:07pm
KevO'Brien

Does the data support the lockdowns?
https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/health-care/item/35199-stanford-epidemiologist-coronavirus-data-unreliable-lockdowns-etc-could-be-counterproductive

I have to agree with the general tenor of the argument–the data is inadequate and risk of bad decisions is real.
6 3
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March 21, 2020 3:17pm
Cobolt24

There are 52 confirmed cases now, two are not linked to overseas travel, one in the Wairarapa and Auckland.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/120464350/ministry-of-health-update-on-new-coronavirus-cases-in-new-zealand
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March 21, 2020 3:28pm
rightoverlabour

Any Ideas who the persistent downticker is? Come on, have some balls, own up.
9 0
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March 21, 2020 3:37pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Take it as a sign that you are not commenting in an echo-chamber.
  
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  March 21, 2020 7:55pm
Lee C

Is it just my imagination but are people using facebook to promote Jacinda Ardern to harvest votes on the back of the virus?

Like are they using this to electioneer?

Bit sick.
26 4
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March 21, 2020 3:39pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  It is just your imagination.
  
  0 8
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  March 21, 2020 3:58pm
- Ed Snack
  
  Same as the media in the US using it to attack Trump. And have to say the DPF is right up on that wagon.
  
  As I think an advisor to Obama once said, one should never let a crisis go to waste… (but note that even David Axelrod, ex Obama aide) is praising Trump’s response to date. Along with Democratic Governors in California and New York.
  
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  March 21, 2020 4:01pm
  - Batman
    
    To say they’re praising Trump is a stretch. More like a pat on the back for changing course and doing what he’s told by the experts
    
    0 4
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    March 21, 2020 8:35pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Usual trolls will be – not mentioning any names, coz some are not here today right? You know who
  
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  March 21, 2020 5:09pm
Observer of Life

I would love to see the worlds media interviewing those who have HAD Covid19. Ask how it went/how they are doing. I know someone who has had it. Person is in the mid 30’s age bracket. Said the common cold is worse. Friend spent 15 hours feeling tired, had aching joints, sore throat. Slept it off. Feels great now. Wouldn’t it be nice to hear more positive stories so people know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, I realise this has not happened to all who have had it, but please can we have some balance. The impression we’re getting is that you get it, and you have it FOREVER and EVER and you will never get better.
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March 21, 2020 3:55pm
curry4me

And now this from AOC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo_oml2HfxQ
AOC’s 72 Degree Livestream.
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March 21, 2020 4:05pm
curry4me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuDur16EJP4
Who’s to Blame for the Coronavirus? Probably not the Joker, or Darth Vader.
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March 21, 2020 4:06pm
curry4me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIb-OzfJEHk
Coronavirus is Pushing Macron’s Government to the breaking point. Teachers’ pet keeps getting Fs. That’s not how it’s supposed to work. Maybe he’ll get expelled.
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March 21, 2020 4:07pm
OECD rank 22 kiwi

Jacinda Ardern is so out of her depth. The Alert system is a joke. Covis-19 is out in the wild and “feels” isn’t going to stop it.

How can one Prime Minister attract so much bad luck for New Zealand. First unheard of terrorism, now a once in a century viral outbreak. Her term is only three years long. This kind of stuff didn’t happen under John Key. Back then all that happened was New Zealand winning Rugby World Cups. I prefer those days.
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March 21, 2020 5:16pm
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  I might be wrong, but I thought the GFC, the Christchurch earthquakes and the Pike River explosions happened under Key.
  Maybe you forgot them, because Key dealt with them so well.
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:36pm
Pheobe

Just heard from some friends that are renting a property, that they need to move out as owners who were due to remain overseas for another 2 years are coming back, as soon as it can be arranged. I wonder how many others will be affected by this.
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March 21, 2020 5:37pm
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  Works the other way as well. I have a cock-relation who is a helicopter pilot. Stuck in Papua-NG for who knows how long? Wife and 3 kids at home.
  
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  March 21, 2020 7:50pm
- Colville
  
  good thing is there are 10,000 airBandBs empty for them to move into.
  
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  March 21, 2020 10:51pm
Hard Cheese

I though Ardern told Hosking there were no more cruise ships? Just walking home, a new one (medium size) arriving in Auckland harbour….
9 0
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March 21, 2020 6:49pm
- Kevin Herlihy
  
  That will be the Bremen, the last of the cruise ships that was in New Zealand waters before the ban was announced. This ship will be departing New Zealand waters once it has completed it’s voyage up to the Bay of Islands.
  There will be no more cruise ships visiting New Zealand till August.
  http://www.poal.co.nz/operations/schedules/cruise
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:55pm
Happychappy

I have just watch One News and really for a News outlet you would mistake it for a Labour Party Electioneering site.
Whilst I am not a Jacinda fan or happy with the bullshit she preaches the media have been sucked in hook line and sinker so it is going to be interesting when thousand turn up to collect the dole as they are out of work with no money to pay the mortgage. This and the Coronavirus numbers increasing with the winter cold on it’s way our Prime Minster will need to be on her toes as she will need to choose her words and preach the truth if her and the party think being re- elected later this year is the shoe in that they think it is now.
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March 21, 2020 6:52pm
Fletch

R.I.P Kenny Rogers….

And somewhere in the darkness
The gambler – he broke even
11 1
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March 21, 2020 7:44pm
Captain Mainwaring

RIP Kenny Rogers.
One of the greatest.
13 1
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March 21, 2020 8:08pm
- greybeard
  
  Yes. One of the absolute best. We will never hear anyone like him again.
  
  9 1
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  March 21, 2020 8:14pm
  - Captain Mainwaring
    
    Written after the 2017 election.
    
    Ode to Grant Robertson
    With apologies to Kenny Rogers’ ‘The Gambler’
    
    On the cozy front benches of a Government bound for stardom
    I sat next to the gambler, we were getting up to speed
    We looked at those around us and all we saw were numpties
    The terror came upon us, and he began to speak
    
    He said: “Cindy, I’ve spent my life as a loyal Labour servant
    Knowing how to dodge the knives and aim them in return
    If you want to keep this job you’ll need me right behind you
    ‘Cause our losers’ coalition has heaps of stuff to learn”
    
    I asked him what I need to do to earn the country’s favours
    And right on cue he told me that we have to rob the rich
    He wants to bet the future on shifting all the money
    From those who make it happen to those lying in the ditch
    
    You’ve got to know when to screw ’em
    Know when to shaft ‘em
    Know when to ream them out
    And know when to squeeze
    When it’s not your money
    You can use it how you want to
    There’ll be time enough to dish it out
    Or throw it to the breeze
    
    Every lefty knows that the passage to Nirvana
    Is knowin’ who to cast aside and knowin’ who to pay
    Rich Pricks need to know that we will come a-knocking
    ‘Cause their money’s really ours at the end of every day
    
    And when he finished burbling on he sat there looking smarmy
    I said: “So Grant, are you the key to all the country’s dreams?”
    I wasn’t quite prepared for his unexpected answer
    “With Winston’s fingers in the pie it’s not quite what it seems.”
    
    You’ve got to know when to screw ‘em
    Know when to shaft ‘em
    Know when to ream them out
    And know when to squeeze
    When it’s not your money
    You can use it how you want to
    There’ll be time enough to dish it out
    Or throw it to the breeze
    
    7 1
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    March 21, 2020 9:00pm
    - Captain Mainwaring
      
      Pretty much came true so far.
      The Captain
      
      6 1
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      March 21, 2020 9:03pm
    - Fletch
      
      Didn’t the Labour team butcher The Gambler in a Karaoke version? I seem to remember they did…
      
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      March 21, 2020 9:17pm
- Swifty
  
  Just dropped in…..
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AULOC–qUOI
  
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  March 21, 2020 9:41pm
rightoverlabour

Arderne – what are you trying to say here? “And she had a stern message for New Zealanders who are not taking the threat of Covid-19 seriously, saying they should think about their friends and family and consider that their blithe approach could imperil people’s lives.” Unless you are at school…. Fucking Morons running the country
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March 21, 2020 10:59pm
rightoverlabour

Will Jacinda be setting these guidelines here, too? Or is she leaving this to her Minister of Death?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-boris-johnson-uk-doctor-victims-intensive-care-ventilator-italy-a9415356.html
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March 21, 2020 11:37pm

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