New Zealand isn't just flattening the curve. It's squashing it.

[demmiblue]

HAVELOCK NORTH, New Zealand — It’s been less than two weeks since New Zealand imposed a coronavirus lockdown so strict that swimming at the beach and hunting in bushland were banned. They’re not essential activities, plus we’ve been told not to do anything that could divert emergency services’ resources.

People have been walking and biking strictly in their neighborhoods, lining up six feet apart while waiting to go one-in-one-out into grocery stores, and joining swaths of the world in discovering the vagaries of home schooling.

It took only 10 days for signs that the approach here — “elimination” rather than the “containment” goal of the United States and other Western countries — is working.

The number of new cases has fallen for two consecutive days, despite a huge increase in testing, with 54 confirmed or probable cases reported Tuesday. That means the number of people who have recovered, 65, exceeds the number of daily infections.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/new-zealand-isnt-just-flattening-the-curve-its-squashing-it/2020/04/07/6cab3a4a-7822-11ea-a311-adb1344719a9_story.html

[Sherman A1]

1. K&R

[oasis]

2. Kudos to NZ for aggressive measures against the virus.

[Raster]

3. I wonder, NZ, did you let tRump* "tech advisor" Peter Thiel in???

You know, the Silicon Valley tRump* billionaire supporter that bought his NZ dual citizenship... so he could escape to NZ when the WTSHTF = When The Shit Hits The Fan in the United States.

There is a whole bunch of very rich Americans that *KNOW* that much of the socio-economic structure of the U.S. is untenable and that many of our society's cogs and wheels will not function in dire circumstances, such as a pandemic. They even have their own secret Farcebook* group dedicated to and open to only rich people that want to survive any coming major crisis. Because, hey, their lives are more important.

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. K&R

[Squinch]

5. Widespread testing appears to be the answer. Too bad we will never do that.

[gab13by13]

8. That question needs to be asked constantly

at Trump's daily rallies. Why are we so far behind in testing? Trump spouts off a number, 1.6 million people have been tested, think about it, who would imagine being able to test 1.6 million people, more tests than any country in the world, by far.

1.6 million tests equals somewhere around 0.5% of our population. A reporter should risk it and inform Trump of that % and then push to get Dr. Fauci to answer truthfully about if we have tested enough. Dr. Blitz fell asleep and they snatched her body.

They can compare us all they want to countries in Europe but countries in Europe tested more than we did, because we don't test, because Trump doesn't want bad numbers, it's going to take the US way longer to recover from this.

[Squinch]

11. And I don't believe 1.6 million tests for a second.

[LiberalArkie]

15. If it is 1.6 million tests, then they only tested 800,000 people.

2 tests per person.

[riversedge]

6. k and R

[uponit7771]

7. K&R, "despite a huge increase in testing"

[gab13by13]

9. The numbers they show every day,

the numbers of infected and dead in the US are significantly low ball numbers because we don't test. Johns Hopkins does a good job of reporting the numbers and I'm glad they do and not someone from the Trump administration but I expect the real numbers are at least double what is being reported. The WHO offered to give us test kits early on but Trump refused them and instead sent out tests that didn't work. We are so far behind.

[Squinch]

12. Also, in NYC the number of daily home deaths has grown tenfold.

Those numbers are not being counted.

[Blue_playwright]

18. Holy cow, I hadn't heard that.

And things are so crazy that I doubt anyone can do post-mortem testing. 😳😳😳

[malaise]

10. New Zealand always puts people first

It's that simple

[IronLionZion]

13. Slippery slope towards socialism

Jacinda Arden's goons will squash your freedoms before you even realize it.

US Republicans are all about inflicting draconian authoritarian measures to punish immigrants, minorities, or lgbt or whoever they don't like but want personal responsibility and liberty for themselves.

[liberalmuse]

14. It helps when a population believes in facts and reality.

And when they do the right thing. They turned in their guns after the last mass shooting. This is another reason Washington is flattening the curve as well. When a population bends towards social consciousness and listens to science, believing statistics, they tend to do the right thing.

I’ve visited New Zealand and was convinced it was as close to this “heaven” concept I was going to find in a physical location. Good for them!

[flying_wahini]

16. if you have ever been to New Zealand you wouldn't be surprised to hear that.

Great and beautiful country. If it weren’t for the earthquakes and volcanoes it would be perfect.

[jayschool2013]

17. The key phrase

"But there has been a sense of collective purpose."

Our destructive libertarian "Don't Tread on Me" streak is leading down a calamitous path.