A security guard stands outside the Waipuna Hotel in Mt Wellington the day following a breakout by a resident under Covid-19 quarantine. Photo / Sylvie Winray
A security guard stands outside the Waipuna Hotel in Mt Wellington the day following a breakout by a resident under Covid-19 quarantine. Photo / Sylvie Winray
Covid escapees
I stand in awe of Rob Rattenbury as he has the ability to gain print in the Chronicle where I fail to, even though our beliefs and areas of concern mirror each other's.
He raises the question of a 'shonky' quarantine system that is meant to manage the arrival of persons from overseas (Chronicle, July 6).
He is absolutely correct and the employment of members of the Armed Forces to assist local security personnel is farcical.
Now we have two groups of people who are legally unable to stop a mouse from leaving the building, let alone a possible spreader of Covid-19.
Recent 'escapes' have caused the minister responsible to direct involvement of our police. This appears to be 'go-to' action when faced with a situation involving illegal action by otherwise powerless people like the iwi roadblocks.
It seems that the mere presence of a uniformed police person authorises other persons to become 'deputised' with all the powers of the blue uniform to restrict egress from an isolation facility.
We need to know the manner in which our new 'security' recruits may operate, or are 12 policemen going to be rostered to enable a 24-hour cover at each quarantine site?
Your letters
I feel very sorry for the airman who has been hijacked to front this situation, but then the current government has never shown much respect for the Defence Force.
Reflecting on the deteriorating Covid-19 circumstances in the US, it occurs to me just how important it is that governments and key figures aligned to them show good leadership. The wellbeing of the populations they serve depends on it.
The citizenship of any country cannot, I believe, be relied upon to collectively make good choices for the greater good without that sort of leadership.
I think it's a little like good parenting, which acts as both a role model for children and at the same time inspires within them a greater sense of care for others and the bigger picture.
So when governments don't take a lead on issues of national or global importance, they should not expect populations to act according to an ethic that considers the greater good, without that governmental lead.
We all knew plastic bags were harmful to the environment for many decades, but being the humans that we are, we didn't collectively stop using them till the government took a lead and banned them.
On the environment, strong and bold leadership is urgently required on many fronts in order to save our planet.
Without that leadership, the human collectives that governments serve will continue doing the things and supporting the products that in reality put a bounty on the flora and fauna of our natural world and its resources.
In addition, they will further the heating up of our planet with inevitably dire consequences.
Ultimately with inaction, governments are giving their constituents free rein to put a bounty on the planet itself because allowing them to spend dollars where it's contrary to the planet's future wellbeing is just exactly that, a bounty, with consequences.
Looking at it rationally, we all need the leaders of our nations to take a strong ethical lead and to make good choices accordingly. Mother Earth is relying on them to ease her suffering.
