Comments

Hi Michelle, goodness me! I meant to complete reading "No Friend but the Mountains" to do a review, but have become caught up in the mundane things. Definitely will not let your excellent review cloud my judgement. So far I have been reading with a poetic eye, rather than with a critical eye. Will use the "locked down" period to complete my reading of Boochani's book.

Hi Sadhana I find interesting your comment on political priorities; and I agree with your last statement on the call for bipartisanship. I wanted to vent a little about the attitude of some during this time. For those people who continue to defy the situational measures in place by our authorities, a reasonable conclusion that can be drawn is that they have not come to the full realization of the seriousness of this pandemic. This is surprising given all that is known, and unknown, about COVID-19. The known is primarily the loss of life and, for those who live on, the change in almost every aspect of life as they know it. But this is not the thinking for those who blatantly disregard health authorities’ advice for necessary isolation, do not practice physical distancing, break curfew and spread false information whether intending to create panic amongst the public or for whatever intentions; and attempt to use the situation to serve their political goals or at the very least take a shot at containment measures. Years prior, many experts predicted that no state would be ready for a pandemic; we only need to be responsible individuals to educate ourselves on the global experiences of COVID-19 to see that this is true. Fijians need to start with the obvious, the world’s ‘greatest’ are falling hard – the present participle is meant to capture the uncertainty of the far-reaching impact of COVID-19. So, people should be allowed to be upset and frustrated with any faults in our systems, that is human nature and the essence of democracy. Because if the ‘greatest’ are falling the hardest during this pandemic, then the weakest should spare no chance on half-measures. There is so much left to the unknown – the uncertainty of when a vaccine would be created or when we’d return to 'normal' life. Perhaps it could be the uncertainty of the extent of the worse yet to come, or not knowing the future impact on the world. Whatever view Fijians have on the situation, people cannot be excused or justified for being reckless when they, for example, fail to take precautionary measures to eliminate risk of exposure to the virus (especially when one is placed in a position to warrant such precaution), withhold information from medical authorities, disobey advice for self-isolation upon return from overseas, continue physical interaction like sharing grog (whether in isolation or not), disobey border protection measures in order to meet with a girlfriend, and so on. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 surpass one million, which is the population of Fiji and then some. There is no vaccine or particular treatment for COVID-19. Health systems from around the globe are struggling with their incapacity to treat victims and essentially to 'flatten the curve'. So the first step of any problem is always to acknowledge and realize the extent of the same. Actual realization involves understanding the situation and paying attention to our health advisors and our authorities. And for those who are sceptical of our advisors, like many were at the beginning of the outbreak in the US, fact check the information that is shared with you, research or read reputable sources, make the choice to share factual and useful material – this is a shared responsibility. We need to be educated and informed on the facts not only of the situation here in Fiji, but of Fiji in the global context. And only by really understanding the situation do we become responsible in our thinking and hopefully this translates into our actions. And so despite being frustrated, if we’re reasonably informed, we are able to direct that energy to asking intelligible questions of our authorities, sharing factual and useful information and following containment measures that are put in place. My two pennies worth. Regards Lisa

The public servants that are administering these programs are constrained by pre-COVID-19 rules and regulations and have not been given sufficient discretion or scope to adapt to meet the fast changing circumstances. I had hoped Home Affairs would announce a blanket extension of existing visas, but it appears the announcement on the weekend (that visas would be extended) referred to an extension of the term of bridging visas, not to a simpler process. Because their visas expired on 28 March, our six workers mentioned above have been unable to work for ten days, and Home Affairs have put them in a queue and advised they will be interviewed for their new bridging visas on 15 April. We don't know, and cannot find out, how long it will take after that to grant the visa. I am disappointed at their indifference to the plight and wellbeing of these workers who will be vital to ensuring Australia's fresh food supplies in the coming months. I'm reminded of a joke women passed around in the 70's about the famous dance couple, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Fred Astaire got much of the credit, but my female friends would remind me that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards, and in high heels. Dancing to the tune of of the government regulations around seasonal workers and visas is hard enough in normal times, but suddenly COVID-19 has come along and we find ourselves dancing backwards and in high heels, but no one in government has told the DJ to change the dance steps or slow down the music.

The following documents informed this post: Falefou, T. (2020) Preparedness and Response Program Interim Report No. 1. National Covid-19 Taskforce, Government of Tuvalu. Tuvalu Government (2020) The Management and Minimisation of the Impact of Coronavirus Regulation 2020.

Thank you so much Anyonyi Octavian Jonathan for your comment. Knowing that people are thinking and talking about ways that we can work together more effectively across disciplines and sectors is really encouraging. Learning how multi- and inter-disciplinary teams are operating across different geographies will encourage and inform us all. Do please share the fruit of your discussions down the track and stay safe during these challenging times.

Every day by which the arrival of the virus is delayed could represent dozens of lives, if we assume that this will be ended by a vaccine or cheap, simple and effective treatment, rather than just running out of the fuel of susceptible hosts. With the air routes cut, all focus can now be on the land border. Every jalan tikus should be patrolled and anybody crossing intercepted. The Indonesian border patrol should deal with Indonesians wishing to enter Indonesia, and be assisted in preventing non-Indonesians entering. All who are determined to enter Timor-Leste, and can show that they have friends or family waiting to receive them (note that this should include people with no Timorese passport or residence permit… this is not the time to worry about migration law) should be transferred immediately to a quarantine site close to the border. This should be a pleasant, free wifi, hot and cold running water, well-fed quarantine (with lots of education on the virus, to fill the time) and include the promise of a lift to the home village, with a generous “thank you for your co-operation” food parcel, once the all-clear is given. This will a. give the military something to do (patrolling) that does not involve being in large groups; b. minimise the incentive to slip in under the radar or escape early from quarantine; c. offer employment to redundant hospitality workers; d. help out transport providers; e. give custom to border-region food growers; f. be a supportive and protective government intervention visible to the many destination villages; g. disperse grateful (or at least not resentful) people with factual stories to tell about how the virus spreads and kills, and how it can be recognised and halted – the go-to person on this subject for the whole village. The Northern Territory government is quarantining international arrivals at the Mercure with a daily food and beverage allowance of Aus$80! It looks crazy but they know that it’s cheaper than handling an outbreak of COVID-19. Timor can achieve the same for a fraction of the cost per head, and perhaps head off a disaster.

Well presented for a holistic, health, social, technical, economic, political, sustainable Team Building Leadership & Humane solution. Because Coronavirus is still relatively unknown, Scientists with respective Governments are still trying to play “catch-up” from Testing, Treatments - Personal, Business, Hospitalization, Vaccine, Plasma or Peaceful death. We are reminded by Dr. Anthony Fauci (Whitehouse Corvus-19 Consultant. CNN daily news. March, April 2020) to be humble, report symptoms, practise social & Physical distancing & personal hygiene with regular hand washing with soap, stay home until the curve is flattened with updated advice & be kind to all. Scary but we need data, facts & modeling by the scientists to win this “infectious war”. It is our humanity that will sustain the human spirit to overcome “coronavirus war uncertainties”. Thank you. Mere.

Hi James I appreciate different views on framing. And I do indeed agree with you about your *to* *for* and *with*, and *with* is definitely difficult work. I have just assumed it. My experience is limited on the ground. Certainly all the guys I classed as heroes in Aceh and Nias were all working both for and with locals. We tried to develop Village Planning in Aceh after the tsunami, and we just did not have the resources to help the villagers plan. And yes too many parties came in with their housing programs that locals jumped at because they were delivering faster. It's complicated. But I fail to understand your point about 'handing back power' so I guess you miss my point. Of course I did not mean return to the status quo. An example from Aceh, we got WFP to take on planning of logistics. Important, because if all parties organised their own transport of goods, there would be chaos and delays. But before WFP could deliver, the good guys were getting materials in. And when WFP came in, they handed the logistics over to them. While many people do not like to release power once they have it, it was not a problem with the good guys in Aceh and Nias. And I doubt it is a problem of all the heroes of the Corona disaster. I think most will be quite happy when it's over. In Aceh, would it be credible that I meant to hand things back to the police and army and GAM depending on where they were working before the tsunami? Not at all. And yes I did help with the change to local autonomy.

Thanks Robyn for your exemplary work. It's my prayer that as humans we adopt systems thinking to combat these issues that are mostly affecting us with regards to GLOBAL ONE HEALTH: Towards human,animal and plant health. I've shared your work with my colleagues in our department for I found it very insightful. Be blessed always.

I have made several representations to minister's offices about 'essential service' status for seasonal workers, about reducing red tape and the urgent need to extend the 403 visas for our vulnerable seasonal workers. I have not had any response to any of my inquiries. Instead we have been left to figure things out for ourselves. It would take a one line email from the minister to 'extend all 403 visas for 6 months' and I cannot understand why this has not happened. Instead we have commenced the task of applying for the first six of nearly a thousand bridging visas. On Monday we submitted six applications for workers whose visas expired on Saturday. The workers have (correctly) been stood down by the farm where they were employed, as they are currently illegal, and no longer have work rights, so we are paying their rent, insurance, travel and food bills. They are a long way from home with no job, no legal status and no idea when they might see their family again. The bridging visa applications were returned from the Hobart office of Home Affairs where we had lodged them and where the original 403 visas were issued. They advised we had to submit the visas to the state Home Affairs offices where the workers reside. These workers are in WA so we sent the applications to the Perth office. They forwarded them to the Brisbane office because our company's registered office is in Qld. Brisbane wrote to us saying the 956a forms we submitted with the original 403 applications are not valid for the BV applications and we need to get new ones. It is now five days since the applications were submitted and we are no closer to getting these workers back to work. State offices of Home Affairs do not seem to be aware of our workers or their need for new visas.

Thanks so much Lois for your really important question. In my opinion, plant health is a key component of One Health and Planetary Health initiatives. The early vision of One Health was very holistic and getting back to this broader framework will enable us to better understand challenges and opportunities. Working together will undoubtedly prove to be much more efficient (in dollar and health terms) in the medium- to long-term. So, let's just find a way to work together and contribute to refining definitions that will stand the test of time. I'd welcome an opportunity to learn more about your plant health endeavours.

Hi Chris, the tests are done by the PNG Institute of Medical Research. The positive result was from tests conducted by IMR. Getting mixed results is part of the process, and can happen anywhere. That is why multiple tests are conducted. What happened was, Wong, Marape, and Kramer all announced results as tests were going on. They should have waited and announced the test result after the IMR guys gave the final result when they were satisfied. Also, read Manuel Hetzel and Ben Bande’s comments below. They know better than I do. Thanks.