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UPDATED/URGENT Request of Doctors: This petition has clearly grown beyond just medical professionals now, with many other people signing the petition. If you are a doctor, please urgently sign this doctors-only petition instead: https://bit.ly/nzmedicalspecialistspetition as it is being delivered very soon.
This alternative petition was created just for doctors by the medical community in Auckland and requires validation by entering your MCNZ number, so the integrity of this petition will be rock solid.
If you are a non-medical member of the public PLEASE sign the following petition instead of this one, which will be delivered at 10:30AM Monday (23 March) to Parliament: https://bit.ly/civilianpetitioncorona
Dear New Zealand Health Professionals,
Many of us supported a petition to close the NZ border, which was met with success! Now, we have two paths to choose – attempt to truly contain COVID-19, or allow the horrors like those seen in Italy and the US to happen here.
Time is critical. Every hour counts.
Let’s stand together as experts of the medical community and call for the New Zealand Government to immediately follow the examples of Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, which resulted in successful containment.
Specifically there should be immediate:
1. Quarantine (not self-isolation) of COVID-19 positive patients
2. Extensive testing and contact tracing
3. Self-isolation of all asymptomatic contacts
4. Mandatory social lockdown
These actions will be painful for New Zealand, but nothing compared to what we would endure if we don’t act now to make our collective voice heard.
The government must heed the warnings of University of Otago public health Professor Michael Baker. In Baker’s words, the virus will not wait; we need to throw “the whole house” at this problem, “not just the kitchen sink”.
The window of opportunity is rapidly closing to prevent COVID-19’s exponential growth, which will overrun of our health care system, causing countless unnecessary deaths. If that happens, our generation will forever regret our inaction.
Please support by registering your name, area of speciality and location in New Zealand.
Many Thanks,
Dr Kelvin Ward, Urgent Care Physician, Wellington
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