Unemployment of 26% is completely ethically unacceptable. It reached 11.2% at its peak in Sept 1991. 26% is (probably) also much higher than in the Great Depression. It would ruin hundreds of thousands of lives, and cause an enormous increase in violence and other crime ... (1/2)

... suicide, addiction and other health problems, and cause life expectancy to fall. These effects would last for *at least* a decade. A significantly extended #nzlockdown cannot even be considered by a responsible government, pretty much whatever ... (2/3)

... the #Covid19nz mortality rate is forecast to be. Public health experts must look at this situation through a true #publichealth lens, not just a Covid19 one. (3/3) https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=1

Nb, If 4% unemployment is 111,000 people then, roughly, 26% unemployment is 720,000 people. In a country of 5 million. It can’t even be considered.