The covid-19 virus does mutate but to date more slowly than the seasonal flu, Dr Brendan. Specialist in infectious disease!?

At least that would seem to be the case as I read the article.

So, Two English tourists were allowed into N.Z.? And ruined the attempt eradication?

And proves the case for mandatory quarantining of all inward bound arrivals, whether infected or not!

Severe recession? Understated! And a global reality.

Our problem has been our foreign capital dependant economic model and a determination to remain in a time warp, big end of town, 50's style economically, and overly dependant on foreign money, investment and control!

Our claimed humanitarian sanctuary for Hong Kongers seems to be very selective on a few very well heeled entrepreneurs?

Tried to sell everything not nailed down and privatise or corporate all else! Created a virtual army of bureaucrats to try and make the most incompetent government on earth, full of career pollies, look halfway competent.

I mean you side of ultra-conservative politics, Dr Brendan, has not tumbled to the fact that the recovery and debt repayment is dependant on cooperative capitalism. And just a it was when we came out of the Great Depression also burdened by massive debt! Which simply went away with unprecedented economic growth! And the path forward this time if we can just get roadblocks like yourself out of the way and stop you and yours from selling the family silverware and our children's heritage!

Properly fashioned and implemented, cooperative capitalism will ensure we keep what we have, return our economic sovereignty and make every one dollar do the work of at least seven.

And dependant on sidelining Monday morning experts like you highly "medically qualified", infectious disease experts, like yourself!
Alan B.

"The shutdown also helped, but was less important".

The shutdown threw people out of work, wiped out for good many businesses, and ruined the economy - all over a severe bout of the 'flu, which hasn't killed as many people (oldies) as the normal one does. Save people already on death's doorstep, and to hell with the cost, has been the mad, mad scheme. And now the lunacy has started again in Victoria, and people are still crossing our international borders instead of being told to see it out in some s..thole they thought it was chic to visit. And all our nutty politicians are doing is at long last making them pay for their own confinement accommodation. Real tough guys!

Describing the effects of what the bungling PM, who claims to be advised by "experts", as 'disastrous' is actually a compliment for the damage he has done and is doing as he swills beer at the rugby.

The consensus among people who should have been consulted on the economic aspects of the CCP virus - but who were not - is that it will take a generation, a quarter of a century, for Australia to recover, presenting another victory in passing to Communist China. There is still nothing to say that those bastards didn't deliberately release their virus.

The West is buckling under this gift from China; and Third World countries on the African continent are dying, ripe for "help" from the Communists.

As the author says, we have got off relatively lightly because we are an "international travel backwater", not because of anything our idiot politicians have done. And the operators of the pissy little trade that adds a pissy little 10% only to our GDP are making the most noise. The same applies to the education sector, whining about the loss of Chinese students - plants of the CCP as well as health hazards.

What a mess we are in. Morons voting for even bigger morons to ruin our country and our lives.

On the positive side the danger of unlimited government's being revealed to more people at once than most's living memory.

The recession has only just started, big companies and the government are starting to restructure and retrench staff to prepare for whats going to happen by the end of the year. Recessions dont happen overnight, generally takes a year before the big crash comes. The recovery will take at least 5 years, probably 10. We havent gotten off lightly, the big economic pain is yet to come. A large proportion of people are hooked into debt they cannot repay, when the government support ends there will be a huge number of people defaulting. All that credit card debt that paid for Chinese consumer goods that the banks are carrying will not be able to be paid. Our standard of living in this country will have to drop substantially.

I forgot to add that I do not believe that the CCP deliberately released this virus initially but I do believe that they concealed the outbreak and allowed international travel knowing that it was highly contagious.

thanks Brendon. Our Pollies made the mistake to listen to the wrong 'experts'. Not one public health official or public servant has lost their job or income and yet still continue to push for lock downs. You would think they have learn't the limitations of 'experts' over the last 40 years with the hopelessly flawed gw predictions. The 'deniers' who called for sensible lockdowns and protection of the vulnerable at the start will again be shown to be far 'smarter' than the control freaks and fearmongers'. Those with tightest lockdowns have done no better than the others. And then we have the Mayor of NY sending covid into nursing homes. What can you say? If the West survives this stupidity our grandkids will wonder how so many 'edcuated' made such dumb decisions.