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Kerre McIvor: Govt's Covid-19 messaging has deceived us all

Author
Kerre McIvor,
Publish Date
Tue, 11 Aug 2020, 11:32AM
Photo / File

Kerre McIvor: Govt's Covid-19 messaging has deceived us all

Author
Kerre McIvor,
Publish Date
Tue, 11 Aug 2020, 11:32AM

"Right from the very start of the coronvirus response, I have been confused by the government and the health ministry's response. 

For the first three or four days, you had the police and the health ministry contradicting one another over what was and wasn't allowed under Level 4 lockdown.

Neither the Police Commissioners office nor the Prime Minister's office could agree, initially, on what people would be permitted to do when it came to bubbles, travel, exercise - the whole gamut. 

Very frustrating when you're the medium charged with disseminating the correct information but once the dust settled, you could forgive them because - repeat after me - this is an unprecedented situation and we - the team of five million - was in a war against Covid 19.

But then right throughout the management of the Covid 19 response, it's been very odd.  Because Ashley Bloomfield and the PM were on the telly or the wireless every single day, telling us what was happening, keeping us up to date, reassuring us and they were warm, and they were believable and they were empathetic and the sun was shining and the world was scary but everything was going to be OK because Ashley and Jacinda were there.

We were all going to be fine so long as the team of five million played their part.  When Simon Bridges dared to question the accuracy and the screening of information being delivered by the Health Ministry he was excoriated."

Listen to Kerre's full editorial above

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