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Entrepreneur criticises Govt's coronavirus approach compared to China's

Author
Newstalk ZB / NZ Herald,
Publish Date
Mon, 16 Mar 2020, 9:27AM
New Zealand entrepreneur of the year Nick Mowbray. (Photo / Supplied)
New Zealand entrepreneur of the year Nick Mowbray. (Photo / Supplied)

Entrepreneur criticises Govt's coronavirus approach compared to China's

Author
Newstalk ZB / NZ Herald,
Publish Date
Mon, 16 Mar 2020, 9:27AM

An entrepreneur says frontline doctors have backed up his claims the Government is doing too little to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Over the weekend, Zuru founder Nick Mowbray said there was so much more that needed to be done, from tightening up our borders to greater testing.

"We need to get ahead of this. Now is the time to act," Mowbray said yesterday. "There is no point waiting for it to become a crisis, because it will."

Mowbray said it was "crazy" that there was no thermal testing at Auckland International Airport and that gatherings were still being allowed to go ahead, while cruise ships were being allowed to dock without any extra precautions.

"It is crazy we are not taking stricter measures."

In China every individual was being required to update their health status on social media site WeChat on a daily basis.

Those who were sick were required to self-isolate and there was security outside all apartments. People were not allowed to go into supermarkets without wearing a face mask.

When it came to Zuru's offices it had thermal testing before staff came into the office and then a second test later on in the day.

The offices were being sanitised and cleaned on a daily basis while all staff were required to sanitise their hands before starting work. Workers were required to turn up at staggered 15 minute intervals to get in to the office.

Staff were also not allowed to go to the office cafeteria and lunches were being packaged individually and delivered to people.

He said countries like Singapore had fast result test kits and thermal testing stations.

"Our airport has nothing. We should be shutting our border to Europe for at least two weeks."

Since the article was published, he had heard from numerous health officials throughout New Zealand who reiterated his concerns.

Major concerns included the number of ventilators in hospitals and the stock levels of protective equipment.

"In Pukekohe in the ICU, the doctor I spoke to said they were down to their last two face masks left," Mowbray told the Herald.

"There's nowhere near enough and doctors across Auckland are all saying the same thing - there's not enough personal protective equipment and we haven't even started the crisis."

Earlier today, it was revealed New Zealand had its sixth positive case of coronavirus.

Aged in his 60s, the man recently returned to New Zealand from New Jersey, United States and was currently at home recovering in self-isolation.

Waitematā District Health Board chief executive Dr Dale Bramley confirmed the news to the media on Saturday afternoon.

Bramley was alerted to the sixth case on Friday and the man, who was doing well at home did not require hospital treatment.

There was still no community spread of the virus, Bramley said.

 

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