In Australia, we did have a zero-covid policy up to last December. I think the most effective part was the closure of international borders, and quarantining of new arrivals. (I'm not advocating this as a good thing - we have always had some protection from agricultural and human diseases as an island nation, but never before at such an extreme level.)
We also had state border closures and restrictions, which had an even worse effect on economic life - and our sense of freedom.
The actual lockdowns and associated restrictions (closures of businesses, schools, etc) have been completely unjustified, IMO. The damage (social and economic and educational) has yet to be tallied fully. The benefits have been dubious (though we keep being told that things would have been much worse if we had not done this - and the same with vaccinations).
Now we have "opened up" - international travel is still not back to what it was, but becoming less restricted (for the jabbed), and state borders have mostly also opened again (except for WA). They keep telling us that lockdowns are probably not going to be imposed anymore (though they do still hold the threat of local lockdowns over us, if considered necessary).
Case numbers are not a useful indicator at this stage, but the death rate peaked through Jan-Feb, and now shows signs of rising again - a peak much worse than anything we experienced up to that time. Yet the hype stopped... restrictions (mandatory mask wearing) eased...
If I wanted to be cynical, I might suggest that the level of fear and vigilance in our population has waxed and waned in accord with the media mention, and shows absolutely no correlation whatsoever with the actual hospitalisation and death figures.
Rather than mandates, why not implement a full court press of good nutrition; weight management, good nasal and throat hygiene. Vitamin D levels should be checked for baseline and supplements added to get levels >50. Prevention therapeutics for frontline workers should be initiated early-on; hydroxy chloroquine and/or ivermectin as done in Mexico City and U Pradesh, India. The same should be done for most citizens; especially high risk ones. All of these measures are safe, effective and affordable. This time we should have learned to be aggressively proactive instead of insidiously passive, waiting for cyanotic lips desperate for O2. This time we should avoid the hospitals at all cost. To control Mother Nature, she must be obeyed; using our innate immune system to prevent illness and/or restore it quickly.
In Australia, we did have a zero-covid policy up to last December. I think the most effective part was the closure of international borders, and quarantining of new arrivals. (I'm not advocating this as a good thing - we have always had some protection from agricultural and human diseases as an island nation, but never before at such an extreme level.)
We also had state border closures and restrictions, which had an even worse effect on economic life - and our sense of freedom.
The actual lockdowns and associated restrictions (closures of businesses, schools, etc) have been completely unjustified, IMO. The damage (social and economic and educational) has yet to be tallied fully. The benefits have been dubious (though we keep being told that things would have been much worse if we had not done this - and the same with vaccinations).
Now we have "opened up" - international travel is still not back to what it was, but becoming less restricted (for the jabbed), and state borders have mostly also opened again (except for WA). They keep telling us that lockdowns are probably not going to be imposed anymore (though they do still hold the threat of local lockdowns over us, if considered necessary).
Case numbers are not a useful indicator at this stage, but the death rate peaked through Jan-Feb, and now shows signs of rising again - a peak much worse than anything we experienced up to that time. Yet the hype stopped... restrictions (mandatory mask wearing) eased...
If I wanted to be cynical, I might suggest that the level of fear and vigilance in our population has waxed and waned in accord with the media mention, and shows absolutely no correlation whatsoever with the actual hospitalisation and death figures.
Rather than mandates, why not implement a full court press of good nutrition; weight management, good nasal and throat hygiene. Vitamin D levels should be checked for baseline and supplements added to get levels >50. Prevention therapeutics for frontline workers should be initiated early-on; hydroxy chloroquine and/or ivermectin as done in Mexico City and U Pradesh, India. The same should be done for most citizens; especially high risk ones. All of these measures are safe, effective and affordable. This time we should have learned to be aggressively proactive instead of insidiously passive, waiting for cyanotic lips desperate for O2. This time we should avoid the hospitals at all cost. To control Mother Nature, she must be obeyed; using our innate immune system to prevent illness and/or restore it quickly.