Figures from around the world show that Covid-19, while vicious and contagious, does behave like other infections, rampaging quickly through a community, hospitalising a small percentage and causing death in an even smaller percentage.

The World Health Organisation's own figures show that, even in the worst hit province of Hubei, China, 3085 people died from Covid-19, while during the same 3 month period, 85,000 died from other causes.

In the five worst hit provinces in China with a combined population of 395 million people, there were 73,929 infections with 3120 deaths; equivalent numbers in New Zealand would mean 842 infections with 35 deaths. 35 is 35 too many, yet that number is just 7% of those who normally die by flu each year in New Zealand.

According to Health Foundation figures, approximately 450 people will die in New Zealand from heart disease alone during our four week lockdown period.

Isolation does not stop the virus, it slows it down to allow hospital services to cope with those unfortunate enough to develop severe symptoms.

New Zealand is well placed to ride out the storm of the virus, while the onset of colder weather means that our people struggling with respiratory issues are more at risk.

We hope that the lockdown will be shorter than expected with our elderly and high-risk people continuing to isolate.

“There is huge hardship that the lockdown has put on both individuals and families, and we want the government to make decisions that affect us all based on science and facts, not fear,” says New Conservative leader Leighton Baker.

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