Mrs P
It has been slightly humorous over the last few days to hear statements from various politicians to the effect that “we don’t know what the protests are about” and “the messaging isn’t clear”. Being so confuddled by what really is quite a straightforward matter, they appear to need some help. Therefore, I have ten suggestions for what our government could do to de-escalate tensions with the vaccine sceptic community:
- Acknowledge the vaccine injured and give these people permanent vaccine exemptions. Why would you not?
- Where they are still able to work, reinstate these exempt people in their jobs if they have been let go.
- If they are not able to return to work, compensate injured and now exempt people for lost income.
- Create clear and reasonable criteria for vaccine exemption and decentralise the exemption process so any medical professional can sign off on these exemptions. It’s clearly better to tolerate a few unwarranted exemptions than to force vaccinations on people for whom they are dangerous.
- Acknowledge receipt of the NZ Citizens Register of vaccine injuries and death which has been compiled by The Health Forum NZ and add these reports to the CARM database. After all, that is what CARM is for.
- Release non-identifying details of all deaths which have been reported proximate to vaccination including the reasons why they have or have not been considered potentially casually related. If the government does not have this information compiled and on hand already then their pharmacovigilance is as sloppy as my granddad’s dinghy.
- Reinstate midwives who have been mandated and improve pay for all midwives. Where I come from down South we were already in crisis before we lost midwives to mandates and everyone knows it. It should not be normal for pregnant women to have to go without a midwife.
- Allow RAT testing for unvaccinated people who need to access driver licensing tests. Denying access to a driver’s licence is beyond a “nudge in the right directio; this is a sore point producing significant inequity, which could easily and safely be addressed.
- Release a statement reminding people of the rights of vaccine and mask exempt New Zealanders and separately of those who have chosen not to vaccinate and condemning aggressions and microagressions against these people. It’s a meaningful token and it won’t even cost anything.
- Arrange a private meeting with Lynda Wharton of the Health Forum NZ and the women from Voices for Freedom to hear their concerns and do it without belittling anybody. All they have to do is swallow hard, put on their big person’s pants, and talk nicely for an hour or so.