New Zealand will begin easing its national lockdown from next Tuesday, after an extra five days of some of the world’s strictest COVID-19 restrictions. Six NZ experts give their take on the news.
Family stress can go through the roof when managing social isolation or pandemic anxiety. A researcher of parent-child relationships offers practical tips to make time together more enjoyable.
On Monday, New Zealand will announce if it’s ready to relax some of its COVID-19 restrictions – among the strictest in the world. Based on international and local data, I argue it’s time; here’s why.
Until NZ is no longer in a state of emergency, authorities have exceptional powers over people’s lives – from telling people to stay home, to potentially making vaccinations or testing mandatory.
COVID-19 is creating overwhelming needs for intensive care and testing facilities. An Australian team is developing purpose-built units that can be shipped and erected quickly, easily and cheaply.
The federal government wants Australians to sign up to the TraceTogether app, which logs your social interactions via bluetooth. But how much privacy will we sacrifice to combat COVID-19?
Current restrictions remind us of the value of access to public space and one another. Yet even before COVID-19 some people were excluded and targeted, so a return to the status quo isn’t good enough.
New Zealand’s COVID-19 elimination strategy has been a collective success, involving ‘ordinary’ Kiwis and unity across political divides. Ending lockdown and a looming election will test that unity.
Reducing crowding and repairing social housing can decrease the risk of COVID-19 in remote Indigenous communities. It will bring other long-term benefits, too.
Many want to do the right thing – tenants and landlords alike. But they lack guidance on how to go about it while still keeping their own heads above water.
Ardern’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis has inspired high trust in the state but by the time the country goes to the polls later this year, the outbreak’s social and economic damage may change that.
Government action to control rents isn’t unprecedented. Menzies did it in the second world and subsequent state measures kept rents in check for decades. Now extreme circumstances justify it again.
As the pandemic moves us indoors, it’s time to reconsider our understanding of ‘screen time’ – especially since we’re relying on our devices now more than ever.
No continent is more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most vulnerable people pay the highest price, and this time Africa will struggle to get help as other nations fight their own battles.
Dougal Sutherland, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Fear is a central emotional response during a pandemic and it’s why most people have complied with lockdown conditions. But as anxiety eases and boredom sets in, people’s resolution may fray.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, online platforms might seem to be safer places to work and socialise, but online abuse is expected to rise – and women are at a higher risk.
At the time of writing, there have not been many published papers regarding breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most research is still ongoing.