新西兰放弃清零选择与冠病共存

文 / 陈慧璋

10/04/2021

新西兰总理阿德恩说，要回到零病例是极为困难的，新西兰政府因此决定改变政策，希望在控制病毒传播的同时与冠病共存。（彭博社）

（早报讯）新西兰总理阿德恩改变抗疫策略，决定放弃清零，选择与冠病共存。

路透社报道，阿德恩周一（4日）说，德尔塔变种冠病病毒引发的疫情显示，要回到零病例是极为困难的。政府因此决定改变政策，希望在控制病毒传播的同时与冠病共存。

新西兰人口最多的城市奥克兰是这一波疫情核心。为遏制变种病毒，奥克兰170万人口处于封锁状态下已近50天。

阿德恩说，从10月6日开始，奥克兰将分阶段放宽管制措施。

她说，奥克兰仍将维持在第三级防疫警戒水平，但部分限制措施将会解除，包括允许两户家庭在户外聚会，但人数不得超过10人。

澳洲卫生部长亨特则表示，德尔塔变种病毒引发的疫情似乎有平缓迹象。

新西兰卫生部周一通报，过去24小时增加29起社区病例，其中28起出现在奥克兰，1起出现在奥克兰以南147公里的怀卡托（Waikato）。

截至周一，新西兰这波疫情的总确诊病例增至1357起。

在冠病疫苗接种方面，在新西兰约500万人口中，约48%或200万人已完成冠病疫苗接种。

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New Zealand drops COVID-19 elimination strategy under pressure from Delta

By Praveen Menon

10/04/2021

Summary

PM Ardern says Auckland to reopen in phases
Delta “tentacles” hard to shake – Ardern
More cases reported in Auckland on Monday

WELLINGTON, Oct 4 (Reuters) – New Zealand on Monday abandoned its long-standing strategy of eliminating coronavirus amid a persistent Delta outbreak, and will instead look to live with the virus and control its spread as its vaccination rate rises.

The Pacific nation was among just a handful of countries to bring COVID-19 cases down to zero last year and largely stayed virus-free until an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant in mid-August frustrated efforts to stamp out transmission.

“With this outbreak and Delta the return to zero is incredibly difficult,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a news conference in a major policy shift.

“This is a change in approach we were always going to make over time. Our Delta outbreak has accelerated this transition. Vaccines will support it,” she said.

Ardern said a lockdown affecting 1.7 million people in the biggest city Auckland will be scaled back in phases, with some freedoms introduced from Wednesday.

The change of direction came as the country recorded 29 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the total number in the current outbreak to 1,357. Most cases are in Auckland, which has been in lockdown for nearly 50 days.

Amid mounting pressure, Ardern has said her strategy was never to have zero cases, but to aggressively stamp out the virus. She said strict lockdowns will end once 90% of the eligible population is vaccinated.

About two million New Zealanders have so far been fully vaccinated, or about 48% of the eligible population.

Ardern said the Delta variant felt like “a tentacle that has been incredibly hard to shake”.

“It’s clear that a long period of heavy restrictions has not got us to zero cases. But its ok … elimination was important because we didn’t have vaccinations. Now we do. So we can begin to change the way we do things,” she said.

People in Auckland will be able to leave their homes to connect with loved ones outdoors from Wednesday, with a limit of 10 people, as well as go to beaches and parks.

The normally bustling High Street in Auckland’s CBD is largely deserted during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Auckland, New Zealand, August 26, 2021. REUTERS/Fiona Goodall

Worldwide deaths related to COVID-19 surpassed 5 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, with unvaccinated people particularly exposed to the virulent Delta strain.

CHEERS AND WARNINGS

Ardern used strict lockdowns and New Zealand’s geographic isolation to eliminate coronavirus last year, a feat that helped her secure an historic election victory.

But a sluggish vaccine rollout and the persistent Delta outbreak this year has dented her popularity.

Aucklanders turned to social media after the announcement, with many cheering the decision while others expressed concern.

“I think if we’d been at 1-2 unlinked cases a day and/or no infections in community and no spread outside Auckland (and higher vaccination) I’d be cheering right now,” one Aucklander said on Twitter.

University of Auckland professor Shaun Hendy, who has been modelling the spread of COVID-19, said the new freedoms were likely to lead to greater spread and higher case numbers in coming weeks.

“The government will be hoping that any growth in cases that result is slow enough that vaccination can get ahead of the outbreak, before it puts significant strain on our testing and tracing system, not to mention our hospitals,” Hendy said.

Political parties on both sides slammed the move.

“Jacinda Ardern has no answers to problems that she and her Government promised us were under control. The situation is now, very clearly, out of control and worsening every day,” Opposition National Party leader Judith Collins said in a statement.

Ardern’s Labour Party coalition partner, Greens, said the move put vulnerable communities and children at risk.

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