OPINION
AI
Former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the States, Dr Anthony Fauci testified behind closed doors recently to the House Coronavirus Select Subcommittee. A statement by the Chair summarised Fauci’s testimony as “The social distancing recommendations forced on Americans ‘sort of just appeared’ and were likely not based on scientific data.”
Social distancing in New Zealand was a key part of Covid Alert Level restrictions. Alert Levels were made up by then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Chief Science Advisor Juliet Gerrard based on Singapore’s Alert system. An OIA showed the introduction of the Alert Level system in March 2020 had no Ministry of Health input whatsoever – but depending on the Level in place, social distancing of either 1 or 2 meters was required.
Social distancing was rigorously enforced in New Zealand with ubiquitous arrows and footprints and signs on where to stand and sit to be the ‘correct’ distance apart when in public. Businesses and venues, especially hospitality and events, as well as transport providers had to cut their customer capacity at higher Alert Levels to support these social distancing requirements to open. In an already hard environment distancing made it even harder for some businesses like cafes to operate.
The worst part of social distancing was the emotional fear many people experienced based on being close to another person. It brought out the worst in some people. Social distancing was a harmful tool to separate people. At a time we might most need human support – it removed us from each other.
I even remember a supermarket worker wearing a vest that announced ‘social distancing saves lives’. But did it?
I’ve been through too many to count proactively released documents, as well as OIAs, to write the background on how some decisions were made in the Covid response. When Fauci said there was likely no data to support social distancing – it reminded me how rare it was to see distancing discussed in those documents in New Zealand.
In some of the Covid Technical Advisory Group minutes (here’s an early example from March 2020) it notes distancing needs clarity for who and when it applies. But largely social distancing and its use and importance is a given and while I saw it crop up in some documents on mask wearing – if any justification for it exists – I haven’t come across it.
The most note-worthy mention on social distancing I’ve found hasn’t been from official documents but from media go-to and government affiliated Professor Michael Baker from Otago University. Baker has been a member of the Covid Technical Advisory Group since its formation in January 2020 (and surprisingly they still meet!) and along with his colleagues writes a blog.
Baker and his colleagues repeatedly lobbied government for increasing mask use across the entire pandemic response yet mostly remained silent on social distancing.
Calling for more mask mandates at Alert Level 2 in a September 2021 blog post (this was after community mask mandates had been tightened in response to community cases of Delta) these experts noted that “Guidelines for 1 and 2 metre physical distancing are based on antiquated studies from the 1930s.”
On masks, that post goes to be a gem of silliness – these experts declared that there was never any reason to not be wearing a mask – even being deaf was no excuse as people should learn how to communicate better with deaf people and they wished for the day when everyone had transparent masks!
Social distancing like masks was covered under legislation that could impose infringements of thousands of dollars if you violated these Alert Level restrictions. Former Covid-19 Response Minister Ayesha Verrall and former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stated to media in August 2022 when community mask mandates were in place that “…it is clear that masks are still making a big difference…”
Why no reporter asked ‘how are they making a big difference?’ is beyond me as an OIA showed that these statements had no grounding. Mask mandates in New Zealand were only ever tracked by self-reported compliance through online surveys to several hundred people.
After Fauci’s statements on just social distancing – if the use of these restrictions was not based on any firm footing, and (like masks) was never even measured for effectiveness – this must and should be reviewed as part of the beefed-up inquiry into the Covid response in New Zealand.
Attachments area
Covid-19 Response Minister Ayesha Verrall on remaining at Orange | nzherald.co.nz