SR wrote: "I realise the report does ham it up trying to put the blow torch on Victoria and its lockdowns:"

What report?

The quotes I had there were from various articles I've looked at over the last month or two.

So deaths is the only criteria you're prepared to judge the lockdowns on? Massive increase in distressed and suicidal youths but they didn't actually die so nothing to worry about? Massive increase in domestic violence but no apparent increase in murders so all's good? Early cancer detection missed but the effect of that will be down the track so let's ignore it for now? An entire generation missing a year of school, but they'll get over it? Businesses ruined. A life-times of savings squandered.

But all that's okey-dokey so long as the state looks good on the death league table?

Well that's not the way I look at it.

Dear mhaze,

So lots of unattributed quotes. Well I did google the first one and it said in the rest of the piece that overall attempted suicides were down Federally.

However once again you are taking no account of the lives saved by the lockdown measures either in preventing the spread of Covid or the reduction in suicides.

I fully accept that child abuse figures may well be up but that is far more of an indictment on our society. It is a sad reflection that so many of our country's children are safer at school than at home. Or safer because teachers are able to report signs of abuse.

I would be horrible to think that this problem ever cause us to refrain from such an important public health measure as lockdowns, which are being hugely successful when done well.

"However once again you are taking no account of the lives saved by the lockdown measures either in preventing the spread of Covid or the reduction in suicides."

Again you go back to the death numbers.....when all you've got is a hammer...

I was talking about all the societal disasters that these government mandated house arrests are causing. Problems we'll be paying for for decades.

A bit more.....

http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2782796

""Being socially isolated, kept away from their friends, their school routines and extracurricular activities during the pandemic has proven to be difficult on youth," said lead researcher Sheri Madigan."

"An important consideration for keeping schools open should be the mental health and well-being of youth,"

"As the pandemic continues, along with public health safety measures such as school closures and social distancing, clinically significant anxiety and depression symptoms are likely to continue and to increase for youth as well"

"Older children had more mental health struggles compared with younger ones, and girls were at greater risk for both depression and anxiety. Mental health difficulties worsened as the pandemic progressed"

But we're winning on the death league tables, so all's good?

mhaze,

You dug yourself into a hole with the virus from the beginning. Being a Trump devotee, you followed all of Dangerous Doctor Donald's machinations when it came to the virus, quack cures, downplaying the severity etc. Now you peddle a "let it rip" philosophy. Do you not agree with Christensen and Kelly, that masks don't work, lockdowns are unnecessary, etc, seems you do, all because you were emphatically wrong about the virus in the first instance, and have been trying to justify yourself ever since.

Paul makes up these little false scenarios out of whole clothe and says it so often he ultimately comes to think they're true, or at least purports to think that.

Just to clarify Paul's errors, I was right that the virus was just a bad flu, masks are unnecessary for the vaccinated and the young, and, depending on the location, for anyone else, and lockdowns have been shown again and again to be ineffective, at least as regards the virus.

But they are very effective at enhancing the power of the authorities, at destroying businesses, at leaving the young distraught.

My good Muslim mate in India hasn’t had one case of the virus on his estates, which include many villages; he locked down early and forbiad all entry and exit.
It’s working.