I do not want to punish local businesses like bars and restaurants who are doing it tough under this government. They are mandated to check COVID passes, so it is not their fault. I have to admit, I can’t always be bothered though. Struggling on Sunday at a café in Petone with an umbrella, a mask (I only put it on at the door), and then a vax pass is a big hassle. You may note that I do not scan in or use sanitiser but most people do the lot. What an unnecessary performance it all is. I have never used the tracer app; I used to have the excuse that it didn’t work on my phone, but I now have a new phone and now it works. I have had a few arguments with people over it, particularly in New World, Lower Hutt, but mostly I just ignore them. We all know that scanning is not mandatory but if it gets too hard, I’ll just go to another supermarket. No dramas.
I did note though that this particular café did not check vax passes at the door, only at the counter on purchase. Nor did they scan the passes; they just sighted them. It wasn’t particularly busy, so they could have done it properly, but they didn’t. I’ll definitely go back there.
I have since discovered another place that doesn’t even ask to see them. But the crazy sheep that walk in the door all proffer them for checking. I observed this behaviour with a mixture of laughter and disbelief. Are people really that stupid?
Delta is dying out, Omicron is a fizzer and, in spite of the efforts by many countries to stir up the panic, Omicron is the latest evidence that COVID-19 is behaving like all other viruses and weakening markedly. The Spanish ‘flu had 3 waves, the worst being the second wave in 1919. COVID is behaving in much the same way.
Yet we have more restrictions and controls than we did with the first wave. This has to stop. And to make it stop, we all have to fight back.
My own protests have been minor so far, but I have decided to step it up. Apart from joining Voices for Freedom and Groundswell protests, here are a few things that you can do.
Every time you are forced to scan or sign in to a store against your will, call or email the management and make sure there is an incident reported. Yes, it is minor, but if they get enough of these, they will soon get tired of it. I have to admit, I never sign or scan in and I get away with it 99% of the time.
The same thing should apply if you go into a store to buy a large item, such as a phone or a computer. Remind them that you are there to buy a computer, not to be shunted around like sheep. Again, if it becomes unpleasant, contact management. Tell them that their staff are there to sell products, not to lecture us all on safety from a virus that is dying out. But remember that most people are just trying to do their job. I never want to take it out on them… but I like to have a bit of fun with those who fancy themselves as Stasi, and enough incident reports will make them pull their heads in.
You can see where all those Nazi recruits came from in the 1930s, can’t you?
I had heard that K-Mart in Petone was going to check COVID passes, but retail outlets do not have to do that. Apparently, that idea lasted a whole 2 days. When I went there on Monday, there were the usual mask requirements, and the scanning in (which I avoided), and the sheep runs complete with arrows, but that was it. But if they had asked to see my COVID pass, I was going to bring it up on my phone, let them see it and then turn around and go elsewhere. I was then going to tell them that they do not need to treat one part of our society as second class citizens and that I will never be back… but I never got the chance.
Damn it.
Also, just talk to people. Point out to those who go on about the unvaccinated that they are only at risk from people who have COVID. An unvaccinated person who does not have COVID is less dangerous than a vaccinated person who does. There has been far too much fear, created by the government and the media, and too many people have bought into it. Bring it all back to reality.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking it is not worth it: that you on your own cannot make a difference. If everyone thought like that, we would be living under German or Japanese rule. Everything you do makes a difference. Never give up.
Did you hear that Australian prime minister Scott Morrison referred to getting people vaccinated as ‘getting the sheep through the gate’? He probably thought he was being humorous, but I am disgusted at that analogy. Does that not just sum up the attitude of the liberal elites to their own people? We are mere sheep?
Well, not this one, buddy.
As COVID dies out, the government has to keep this charade going as it is all that they have. Enough people are scared of the virus to keep them locked down for another 6 months or so, but many people are now starting to see the end of it.
Once COVID really does start to disappear, as it soon will, then the government will be back to defending its appalling record on housing, on poverty, and now on government debt. This will give the opposition a chance to shine. It has been difficult for the opposition to gain any traction during the pandemic because people have been scared. Some people are still scared, and some will just milk it, but gradually, it will become obvious that we don’t need the restrictions any longer.
And once that happens… let the games begin.
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