"I know conspiracy theorists and anti-Government activists and people who think Covid is no more than a cold who have been given these face mask exemptions.
"This is a bloody joke. No wonder it's taking so long to eliminate Covid in Auckland."
It is now mandatory to wear face masks on public transport, on flights, and if you are a customer or an employee who has close customer contact, such as at a supermarket, pharmacy or petrol station.
The Ministry of Health has designed an exemption card that people can use if anyone asks why they are not wearing a face covering.
It is specifically for those who cannot wear face coverings safely or comfortably due to a disability or health condition. It is self-regulated and decided upon by the individual, with the Ministry of Health encouraging people to do the right thing and only use the exemption card if they need to.
The Disabled Persons of New Zealand Assembly (DPA) is one of the organisations that administers the system. The DPA estimates to date that it has issued 5000 exemptions. "That is 0.01 per cent of the population, for perspective," says its chief executive Prudence Walker.
"With rights come responsibilities – perhaps some people are forgetting that. Let's focus on the actual need here and show some compassion."
She says the Public Health Order spells out who is exempt from wearing a face covering.
"It's often not obvious why people are exempt – some will have an exemption card and some won't. The cards or medical certificates are not a requirement.
"People can be exempt for a number of reasons and two of those are when communicating with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, when someone has a physical or mental illness or condition or disability that makes wearing a face covering unsuitable."
Exemption cards have been issued for various reasons, many of them personal and sensitive to people in every part of the country.
"We understand there are some people who are not exempt by law who are just resisting wearing a mask – we suspect those people are likely to become an issue because of their behaviour rather than the fact that they are not wearing a mask. Focusing on them negatively impacts the experiences of people with legitimate reasons."
But to some, a face mask has become a symbol of Covid obedience in a locked down society of censorship.
https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing/protect-yourself-and-others-from-covid-19/wear-a-face-covering/how-to-wear-a-face-covering-safely/
On RNZ this week, world-respected epidemiologist Dr Larry Brilliant was asked, by Jesse Mulligan, why there's such suspicion about the Covid-19 vaccine.
He said there had always been a reaction against a vaccine greater than medicines that was understandable.
"It's difficult to wrap the mind around the fact that you're going to stick something into somebody who isn't sick, risk them getting a reaction in order to prevent something that's odourless, tasteless and invisible."
The first vaccination ever given - for cowpox based on the latin for cow, vacca - was in 1797 and the anti-vax movement probably began in 1798, he said.
Dr Brilliant said the combination of vaccines and masks meant we could go back to doing what we wanted to do.
"I don't know how or why we've turned masks and vaccination into political talismans and icons.
"If we have a moment to reflect soberly on what it means to think of a mask as a mark of a political party, what is this, Zorro? It's a crazy thing. We've got our knickers in a twist, way, way too confused.
"Public health people will have to overreact if there's not adequate vaccinations and mask wearing. If the disease gets out of hand, if the isolation facilities are overwhelmed."
