Coronavirus: National party local official urges party to oppose lockdowns as 'breach of human rights'

I’m concerned about the potential of long-term damage as well - but based on the data we have, it’s just potential. Unfortunately this is the problem with a new virus: we don’t know what the consequences will be long term (if any).

That’s why you should be cautious.

Death rate isn’t the only thing that matters.

Many people don’t seem to agree with that.

Death rate or damage, COVID isn’t the only thing that matters. We could do a better job eradicating the virus if we just killed everyone with it or suspected of having it - we don’t do that because our goal is to minimize total harm.

As I told a very angry person elsewhere in this thread, I support lockdowns and eradication as a strategy in New Zealand - but not in the US, where I currently live. This is for a lot of reasons that boil down to effectiveness: NZ is in a position (for lots of reasons) to have effective lockdowns while the US is NOT (for lots of reasons). You don’t treat all patients with cancer identically, and you don’t treat all countries identically in a pandemic - you make the best decision you can based on each’s characteristics and situation.

But the reason that I am so opposed to promoting fear as opposed to caution is because in the US, I see the consequences of fear. NZ is fortunate; it was a quick, effective lockdown then back to rugby until conditions changed.

In the US (and many places), the lockdowns are indefinite and variable. These have severe costs - domestic abuse increases, poverty increases, curable cancers go undiagnosed and become more lethal every day, children are committing suicide at unprecedented rates, strokes go untreated ... these lives matter just as much as any death or harm from COVID.

Again, NZ’s defined, effective lockdown is different - I support it for NZ.

I object to the fear language because I see in the US the very real costs of extreme fear. We’ve handled COVID really well back home - minimizing COVID damage while also avoiding excess deaths and harms resulting from our responses. Fear can change that really easily and quickly.

It really sucks to watch a family friend get brain damage from a stroke that got greatly delayed treatment due to fear. I’m worried about my friend who skipped her annual obgyn appointment a few months ago because she was worried about covid and told it was good to skip her appointmeny - in the next few days, she’ll find out if that lump in her breast is cancer. These harms weren’t necessary. They aren’t due to caution or sensible, short-term lockdowns. They are due to fear that inspired bad choices. That’s all.

And these people matter just as much as anyone else, whether or not the rest of the world agrees.

/r/newzealand Thread Parent Link - stuff.co.nz