A country that controlled two waves of coronavirus and avoided the third: Lithuania will have to learn

In total, just over 2,000 infections and 25 deaths have been recorded here in a country with a population of around 5 million. The chosen strategy and its implementation seem to yield tangible results, so it is worth taking a closer look at how this country, further away from Lithuania, managed to control the re-emerging pandemic and now enjoys a reminiscent pre-Christmas season, even with rugby matches. popular. Thousands of fans gather and they don’t necessarily wear masks because they are only mandatory on public transport.

New Zealand is once again officially pleased to curb the virus, as new cases are only detected at a tightly controlled border and it is poised for a new recharge of the economy, perhaps even a little greener.

Epidemiologists suggest solutions and politicians help clarify them

From the beginning of the virus’s infiltration into the country, Zeelanders had a very clear source of information: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the head of the national health system Ashley Bloomfield, who also has an epidemiological education. Every day at 1:00 p.m. held press conferences during which both presented news and explained solutions related to pandemic management. They were sometimes replaced by colleagues from the Health Department, but the main communicators were always Jacinda and Ashley.

If Ashley wasn’t there one day, the whole group was alarmed that something had happened to her because everyone liked not only her ability to explain complex things, but also the calm, fluid and immediate communication. The entire country, especially during the massive isolation, became involved in listening to the knowledge of the pandemic and now almost half of the country’s population feels experts in epidemiology.

It is interesting to note that Ashley’s annual salary (just over half a million New Zealand dollars or 300,000 euros) is even slightly higher than that of the prime minister. This only shows the importance of your position and responsibility in the fight against the pandemic.

The knowledge of the people who became ill and died from the virus, the anxiety that the virus would spread and the ignorance of how it works, closed borders, universal isolation, loss of work, inability to socialize, meet family and friends negatively affected the collective psyche. The mood was sad, but the clear and empathetic communication emanating from the country’s top politicians, the constant reminder that we are a team facing an unprecedented challenge, and if we all get together now, we will control the virus and return to getting life back on track didn’t work. not only as universal education but also as therapy.

Polls during global isolation showed that the majority of Zeelanders supported strict rules when the situation called for it, and were even in favor of extending the stricter level for one more week just to ensure the virus was eliminated nationally. and they did not tolerate insects on the border where the main fight took place. with the virus. Even top bank economists have announced that while global isolation is widespread in the economy, lack of control of the virus would further affect the economy.

Isolated voices pointed the finger at Sweden’s example, but time has shown that an early and firm response has ensured that Zeelanders can now enjoy normal freedoms within the country and calmly wait for the situation to change in all the world.

The important role of the media

Watching press conferences, reading articles and listening to programs, it was impossible not to realize the important role that the media played, since they were the ones that ensured the dissemination of epidemiological information and political decisions in society. While looking for stronger headlines that were often not received for privacy reasons, they questioned, demanded accountability, accountability, and even clearer explanations, criticized, and thus helped polish even better decisions.

In the beginning, there was a lot of uncertainty about how people would behave, what exactly one or another rule meant, what could and what could not be, and the media played a very important role not only in explaining them, but even in making some adjustments. if better solutions could be found. . There seemed to be a fairly fluid global debate in the country asking us how to deal with the virus so that it affected us as little as possible, and that discussion involved different interest groups with their positions and suggestions.

New Zealand’s measures to combat the virus have received a great deal of media attention around the world, most of it very positive, but not negative. Attempts have been made to show how severe global isolation measures are and how people suffer as a result. Zeelanders responded to this by sharing views of parks and beaches on social media, or while drinking local wine on the terraces of their homes.

Zeelanders living abroad posted articles on how they were doing in a country like England or the United States, and looked jealous of their homeland. Unsurprisingly, it was under these circumstances that many Zenians chose to return home and continue to build their lives here.

Quick distribution of financial support

Another very important reason for the success in the fight against the virus was the extremely rapid approval of the economic stimulus package for companies affected by global isolation and their employees. Finance Minister, who has now become Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, spoke at the press conference on this issue.

If necessary, solutions were discussed even on weekends, just to bring clarity and stability as quickly as possible. The support scheme adopted was perhaps imperfect, but simple, based on trust and rapid implementation. It only took a minute to complete the support request form and the money arrived in the account within a week, sometimes even the same day, depending on the load on the system. If it still turned out that your company’s income had not fallen as much as you had anticipated, you needed to return the support. The plan was intended solely to support workers by subsidizing all or part of their weekly salary (approximately NZD 580 per week) and was announced three times, during the first global isolation, after the mass isolation and in the event of a second wave. .

No other business expenses were reimbursed. Not all retailers were able to agree to a rental waiver at a time when stores could not operate due to strict rules, so many empty spaces with For Rent signs could be seen in the city. But if the landlords were smart, they helped their tenants through a difficult period and are now winning on both sides, as New Zealand shopping is slowly picking up, especially as Christmas approaches, and there is an emphasis very strong in supporting locally produced products thus strengthening the local economy. .

I think it is safe to say that the simple, transparent and rapid distribution of financial support was one of the key factors that helped to ensure the successful implementation of Level 4 antivirus measures. This has helped mitigate the negative effects of global isolation and others. austerity measures by showing empathy not only in words but also in concrete actions that have a real impact on people’s lives.

It is an interesting fact that not all the support provided has been absorbed and a significant part has been repaid, which shows that the negative impact on the economy was not as strong as initially predicted. Unemployment has not fallen to such an extent that the opposition can take advantage of it in the last elections.

Measurement scheme

So what is that so-called 4-level COVID-19 Surveillance Scheme? Its successful implementation has ensured that life in New Zealand remembers the good old days, despite border closures for foreign tourists, not only depriving the country of tens of billions of dollars in revenue, but also not knowing who. will pick cherries on the South Island now. young and strong immigrants who travel the country in search of extra income.

All detailed information about the COVID-19 virus and the fight against the pandemic in New Zealand is published on a specially designed official website (here) where detailed explanations of the measures and all the news can be found.

It is important to distinguish between strict border controls, extensive testing, and contact traceability. Returning citizens and residents must be isolated for two weeks in specially designed hotels and screened on the third and twelfth day. After rapes were detected and several people tried to escape isolation or simply go for a walk, thus posing a risk of transmission of the infection in society, police and military assistance was requested. The media reacts very harshly to any breach of border regulations and demands that the authorities enforce them, since everyone understands that this is the only way the virus enters the country, turning normal life upside down.

Following the spread of the virus nationwide and with stricter control measures, massive public tests were conducted to assess the prevalence of the virus in society. It was only when enough testing was done and their data processed that the decision was made to go back to a softer level of surveillance.

The country is now at the first level of surveillance, where the traceability of contacts plays a very important role. A special application has been developed for this purpose, which is used by more than half of the country’s population: a code hangs in each store or entrance to the event, which is scanned by someone who can be contacted by public health professionals if a new case is detected in that location.

Specific measures were modified and adapted depending on the situation. The transition from one level to the next was announced by the Prime Minister a few days before to take into account the latest data. The principles on which decisions are based have always been emphasized and scientists have always been consulted.

During the second wave, the largest city in the country was at a more difficult level, while the rest of the country was at the second. Intermediate levels, such as level 1.5, were sometimes used to move from one level to another.

In fact, the country’s political leadership has demonstrated a high level of pandemic management piloting that even at 1pm press conferences hosted by IMDB as a 12-episode television series (here).