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Originally Posted by 10023
Please name these countless countries.
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Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan are the leading candidates; advanced democracies that didn’t screw up. Far more advanced democracies failed, and their societies and economies suffered consequently.
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Originally Posted by 10023
And let’s be clear up front that I do not agree with the approaches taken by Australia or New Zealand.
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And where exactly do you disagree with the approach taken by Australia and New Zealand? That they were too successful in limiting the number of unnecessary deaths? That they have managed to dodge the long-term health issues of long-Covid rampant in many countries? That they were able to limit the mental distress to countless millions? That they were minimise the massive economic hit to their economies? That they endured far less frequent and long-lasting lockdowns, and were able to open far earlier and return to a greater degree of normality? Where exactly did their approach go wrong? I suspect that I would not be alone in seeking for you to elaborate where they went so wrong with their approaches relative to that of the UK, US and countless other countries…
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Originally Posted by 10023
Personal choices should have been better, but it should have been left as a personal choice.
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As we have experienced over the past year, this viewpoint is fundamental to understanding why countless countries failed. Ignorance, stupidity, selfishness, or a combination of all three; perfect facilitators for a virus that needs people to collaborate with, to survive, to thrive.
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Originally Posted by 10023
But the UK’s problem is it’s underfunded, underinvested and generally inadequate healthcare system
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You can keep repeating the same erroneous assessment, but it will not make it a fact. I’m not going to repeat myself yet again, as I addressed this point several times previously (11th and 16th February and last on the 9th March), but running away from facts, much as how you ran away to Florida doesn’t project an image of intellectual integrity.
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Originally Posted by the urban politician
^ Yeah, really. For every 1 country that "got it right" according to the authoritarian porn types that hang out in this forum, there are about 100 countries that are getting bitch-smacked by COVID just like America is
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If we had more competent administrations enforcing lockdowns and penalising selfishness, most countries would have got on top of this crisis and most of us would be out on the other side. I would like to hope that in the future we’d go in tough and hard rather than go half-hearted and repeat the mistakes of the past year.
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Originally Posted by twister244
I will be curious to hear about how things are in the UK....
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The UK government have outlined a phased approach to reopening which is under constant review depending upon vaccination rates – which are currently amongst the highest in the world – and data around cases and any new problematic variants. Currently you can go shopping, visit the zoo, libraries, gyms, hairdressers, but you can only go to a restaurant, café, or pub where they have outdoor seating (which is why swathes of Central London have been closed off for alfresco dining).
Phase III (17th May) will mean that you can eat inside a restaurant and go to a cinema, whilst outdoor stadiums will be able to host larger crowds. Phase IV (21st June) should see all restrictions removed. International travel will be the lingering issue, the government will set out its traffic light system for countries in May, and the suggestion is that around 8 countries (including the US) will be ‘green’; Spain is assumed to be ‘amber’, and France ‘red’.
I have been out to the pub three times and restaurants twice since restrictions eased; the experience isn’t completely normal, but this phased science-based process is what ought to have happened last year, in conjunction to a competent track and trace system and closure of borders. I have also done several group (cycle) rides. I had my first vaccination 4 weeks ago.