Since this topic has been uppermost in many minds of late, particularly that of the parents of young children I’m recapping here in light of this announcement yesterday. The article is from mainstream and brings reassurance that children testing positive will not be snatched by Oranga Tamariki (NZ’s child welfare services). I hope that this will be as stated. The public is slated in the headline for spreading false rumours … however, what else can they expect with the kinds of things that have been happening and the kinds of announcements that have been made of late.
Number one … during the last lockdown we had a Dr Michael Ryan, a leader of the WHO, saying, and I quote, ‘authorities may have to enter people’s homes and remove family members’. You can hear him below:
So, understandably this has set the scene, sowing fear in the minds of parents. “Remove them and isolate them” he says. There is no arguing with that even though the ever alert fact checkers have now denied what this sounds like, indeed the presenter himself interpreted it thus by adding “by force presumably”. You can read the fact checkers’ statements at this link. I certainly don’t see the fact check as allaying anybody’s fears however. He said what he said, and as a Doctor should have had sense enough to explain exactly what he meant if he had something else in mind. In my opinion the blame for rumours should be laid right at his door. And one would hope that the authorities including NZ’s have learned to be very specific about their intentions.
Number two … In NZ we have had the recent example of the family returning from Australia, a couple and their young children who were in fact told they would need to be separated in the quarantine facility. They declined. Then later on when their two year old was unwell, another try was made to separate that child from them in the facility. A two year old to a separate room? To be looked after by whom? Smart parents, they declined again, threatening legal action should they persist.
Number three … Bloomfield himself said families could be separated as in the video here from the MOH. At 25 mins 23 secs the question starts.
See the article below for other ‘reassuring’ statements made by Adern and Bloomfield and make up your own mind. I personally think they are not being specific and clear enough.
My conclusion from the evidence thus far is file away statements like this one by Hipkins, where it’s said no they will not take your children. Hold them to account should anybody come and seek to separate you from any of your children. Film everything.
