Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

(1) Thread: The way we respond to Covid in the Antipodes is different to the US and UK.

Australia and New Zealand are in a quarantine-free travel "bubble" and IMO these short, sharp lockdowns are the best way to reduce harm at the moment. Here's why.

bbc.com/news/world-aus…

(2) AU and NZ are lucky to be able to use these methods for now. I'm still surprised by how long NZ in particular has dodged the bullet. In our two countries the main threat is from incoming airline passengers.

I've always said our border measures are too weak.

(3) The problem is that we let people out of quarantine based solely on one or more negative tests, & not requiring effective isolation for 14 days.

Covid has a 14 day incubation period.

It's pointless to test & release them within that window. It destroys all our good work.

(4) Requiring pre-departure negative tests is a waste of time and money, and our scarce resources should not be wasted on this.

Ideally, I'd like to see ALL international travel regulated so that only essential travel is allowed, for now.

Humanitarian grounds. Not vacations.

(5) AU and NZ have a ridiculously slow vaccine rollout process.

Shortage of qualified vaccinators eg nurses? Then why waste them on pre-flight testing and other deadweight sinkholes?

It's luck not management that is keeping Covid out, for now.

(6) Yes, limiting economic activity causes economic harm.

So does rampant Covid in a country with insufficient ICU beds, trained staff, ventilators, drugs, and supplies.

Maximizing vaccination is well worth the spending.

(7) I don't think there's a country in the world that is getting pandemic response right atm. Maybe Israel... as usual... and by that I mean their brilliant medical and scientific community, and sensible policy-making decisions. They know how to survive wartime.

(8) And as an advocate for disabled people and their families, I've always said governments need to prioritize us during the pandemic. They're not doing this.

Normies can live their day to day lives more easily atm than we can. Ensuring we get the vax ASAP reduces our anxiety.

(9) I'm not alarmed by the mini-outbreak in Melbourne, Victoria, AU. I've seen this get resolved quickly several times now.

Better to "go hard and early" than mess about and let a bunch of variant Covid viruses turn your country into another India, or Brazil.