The Bull Ring

Smart politics help the poor OPINION:  The Government's coronavirus response package is perfectly pitched politics – but also does the right thing. Disease crises tend to hit the poor hardest. They are the most likely to get sick, the least able to afford doctor's fees, and the least able to deal with work suddenly drying up. And their numbers are about to be boosted, as the coming recession pushes more people onto benefits. So it's absolutely right that the Government is spending $2.4 billion helping the poorest as part of its overall $12.1b package. Main benefits will increase by $25 a week, a massive boost for those managing on dole payments currently worth just $220. The Winter Energy Payment, which goes to many beneficiaries including pensioners, will be doubled. And it will become slightly easier for families to get the $72.50 in-work tax credit, as long as they are not on a benefit. Previously they would have had to be working 30 hours every single week...

The stupidity Of Dumfuckery And who is responsible for this Dumfuckery? The Dumfuck himself PSA: How to prevent the #coronapocolypse (1/2) pic.twitter.com/Hw9TSFxdIH — René Fris (@renefris) March 16, 2020

Opposition leader praises Jacinda Ardern's Pandemic response Simon Bridges realises now he is a complete failure Simon Bridges is pleased with the Government's decision to require 14 days of self-isolation for almost all arrivals to New Zealand, but he's questioning how it will be enforced.  "We're in serious dark times," the Opposition leader told Magic Talk. "I commend the Government for doing something significant [but] I've got these very clear questions about how it will work. Should it have been travel bans instead?" Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern  announced on Saturday  that every person entering New Zealand from anywhere in the world - excluding 17 Pacific Island regions - will have to self-isolate for two weeks.  The restrictions will all be reviewed in just over two weeks.  Bridges is questioning the Government's decision not to include Australia in the list of exemptions.  "I'd like a sense of understandin...

While The US President Played Golf. A New Flu Strain Was Emerging The news seemed so intriguing - and so potentially alarming - that Sharon Sanders stayed up almost until dawn on December 31 to keep track of it. From her home in Winter Haven, Florida, USA, Sanders began compiling reports of public comments by health officials in China's Hubei province. Workers from a Servpro disaster recovery team wearing protective suits and respirators are given supplies as they line up before entering the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash. to begin cleaning and disinfecting the facility, March 11, near Seattle. The officials, Sanders reported on her blog, FluTrackers, had announced an outbreak of an unusual cluster of pneumonia cases, caused by  a mysterious virus . The disease apparently had spread among merchants in a seafood market in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people. "A number of people from hospitals in Wuhan said that the current cause is not clear," read one ...

No New COVID-19 Cases In NZ - Ministry Of Health New Zealand's total number of people with coronavirus remains the same with no cases reported, says the Ministry of Health. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield was giving an update on the health response to coronavirus. On Sunday he revealed the country has eight confirmed cases of the virus. A microscope image from the US National Institutes of Health shows the Novel Coronavirus. "The tally remains the same, eight confirmed and two probable cases," he said on Monday. The Australian man who travelled to Wellington remained symptom free, and was in self-isolation with two family members. The Danish woman in Queenstown had been discharged from hospital and was recovering in self-isolation. Contact tracing for people possibly exposed on an airplane had changed, with a larger number of surrounding passengers now being considered close contacts. The people in such seats on the flights of recen...

Government ramps up its pandemic action plan Public tours of Parliament will be cancelled until further as officials ramp up efforts to help limit the spread of coronavirus on the precinct . The move is part of its pandemic plan, which Speaker Trevor Mallard revealed  to Stuff earlier  this month.  At the time he said Parliament was ready for a Covid-19 pandemic and had stocked up early on face masks and hand sanitiser, developing a plan for the worst case scenario. On Monday, Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard is expected announce what measures will be implemented in Parliament as part of its pandemic plan. Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said school visits would also be cancelled from March 23 until further notice. Parliament's cafe Copperfield's would also be closed to all members of the public unless they are accompanied by a staff member or MP. The public ...

One Year On Hundreds pay respect at Mosques A cancelled open day failed to keep people from paying their respects at a Wellington mosque a year on from the Christchurch terror attacks. International Muslim Association of New Zealand president Tahir Nawaz said about 400 people turned up at the mosque between 9.30am and 4pm, despite the late cancellation. The open day was planned at Kilbirnie Mosque on Sunday to mark the one-year anniversary of the attacks on two Christchurch mosques on March 15 last year. Imam Nizamul Haq Thanui stands in the prayer room at Kilbirnie Mosque on the one-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks.  It was cancelled at late notice because of fears over the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The outpouring of goodwill was overwhelming, Nawaz said. Hundreds turned up to pay their respects at the mosque despite a planned open day being cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. "People wer...

One of the national party's most useless MP's self isolates National MP Chris Bishop has entered self-isolation as a precaution after a trip to Australia.  The Hutt South MP said he called Healthline after returning from Australia on Saturday night, and was advised he should consider self-isolating. "Although there's no legal obligation for me to go into self-isolation ... I asked them and they said, 'There's no legal obligation but we would prefer that you did'," he said in a video posted to his Facebook. "I am doing that for the next 14 days." On Saturday, Ardern announced that everyone arriving in New Zealand would have to  self-isolate themselves for 14 days , beginning midnight on Sunday.  Bishop said he would not be at Parliament for the next two weeks, and would deal with constituent matters over the phone. He would also miss a number of local events, such as the Korokoro School Gala. Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick will...