A protester, centre, is arrested by police at a demonstration at Sydney Town Hall during a "World Wide Rally For Freedom" anti-lockdown rally in Australia. Photo / AP
A protester, centre, is arrested by police at a demonstration at Sydney Town Hall during a "World Wide Rally For Freedom" anti-lockdown rally in Australia. Photo / AP
Editorial
EDITORIAL:
The most common reaction to the pausing of the transtasman travel bubble here is likely to be one of relief.
The air bridge served its initial purposes as a release valve for the suffering travel and tourism sector; as an opening for people wanting to reunite with family inboth directions; and as political signalling that progress against Covid-19 was apparently being made.
But disruption, dysfunction and risk came from Australia for three months - piling extra pressures onto New Zealand's own confusingly run vaccine rollout.
There was a background fear that a challenging coronavirus outbreak could occur at any time and one was narrowly dodged in Wellington. Now that bubble fear has eased, although Kiwis are being allowed home without having to self-isolate. Cases that occur on visiting ships are more easily controlled.
Australia's troubles continue. The day after the eight-week halt to the bubble was announced, New South Wales recorded 163 new cases and its Health Minister Brad Hazzard pleaded for vaccines from other states. The federal government later said NSW would receive 50,000 extra vaccine doses this week.
Thousands of anti-lockdown protesters marched in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, potentially spreading infection further.
It's easy to sympathise with Australia over its hard-to-squash outbreaks and with Kiwis caught up in them and having to suddenly return home. New Zealand businesses will miss out on tourism revenue.
Yet New Zealand doesn't need to import extra chaos and risk during the vaccine rollout while so many people are yet to get jabs.
Apart from regular outbreaks, a larger anti-vaccine movement, and the political dynamics of a federal system, Australia's coronavirus problems this year have been similar to ours.
There have been limited vaccine supplies, low vaccination levels, and a rollout plan that has simply failed to deliver according to plan.
In New Zealand, messaging from the Government has frequently been found wanting. The entire "group" order of getting jabs appears to have been just a guideline. The vaccine and testing regimes for border workers, proved to have holes. Airport testing sounded efficient, but apparently is not as it sounded.
By pausing the travel bubble, the Government has stamped on a political risk as well as a health one. It's showing similar instincts to when it suspended travel from India over the Delta variant.
As long as the vaccination process continues without a major Delta outbreak in the community - hopefully now less likely - surveys suggest the public generally will be patient and give the Government the benefit of the doubt on its Covid response.
The prudent pause works for now, although it could arguably make transitioning to gradual reopening next year harder. People will have to shift from feeling comfortable with an isolated country to being armed with knowledge on how to protect themselves.
By being slow to publicly address post-rollout plans in detail, the Government is missing a chance to shape debate and present pragmatic advice to people on the challenges ahead.
Outside health experts can offer practical solutions and messages to the public. Some overseas experts have been particularly good at imparting useful information in an easily understood way.
Dealing with people's expectations gradually could also help head off any future outbreak of "we're over it" frustration here at closed borders and restrictions, like the one seen in Sydney on Saturday.
