Commenting on the story: ‘Relentless’ focus on daily COVID cases hurts consumer confidence

Completely agree with Martin Haese on all this.

The ‘stay at home’ and ‘slow down movement’ push (on the entire hospitality industry), coupled with all the daily scaremongering about rising case numbers is creating colossal and unnecessary fear and anxiety right throughout South Australia – severely damaging businesses, smashing people’s confidence and spirits, and deeply hurting people’s livelihoods.

Should the government now perhaps not consider changing the narrative to report just on hospitalisations, ICU admissions, ventilators, and deaths, caused “because” of Covid, and not due to other underlying reasons/conditions.

Further, and importantly, why can’t they report this against the baseline of cases we had in hospital pre-COVID due to the flu? Let’s looks at those stats for say 2018 and 2019.

The people of South Australia deserve to be presented with this kind of relevant and comparative information. – Steve Maras, Group Managing Director & CEO Maras Group

I agree with Martin’s call for less emphasis on case numbers. This did not occur with the Flu. People got sick and usually recovered, some ended up in hospital and unfortunately some died. To the best of my knowledge we weren’t bombarded with case numbers as is currently happening. – Arthur Porter

Totally agree – it’s unhelpful and just feeds the media with material to distort the truth and scaremonger. – Paul Venables

The ‘collateral damage’  if there were to be censorship of this data is more people becoming sick. – Carolyn Johnson

Publishing daily COVID cases is not the cause of lack of consumer confidence, I’d suggest to Mr Haese.

It is the fact that few people have now not been actually affected by COVID – close/casual contact, queuing to be tested, waiting for results, being in extended isolation with the ramifications for family members and dependents, unable to access RATs without risking more potential exposure. That’s without even getting sick, or knowing someone who works in health care and the diabolical position they have had imposed on them.

This is what the business community pushed for when they wanted us to open up. Now they are unhappy with the uneconomic results of that push. If we don’t feel like going to the gym or the pub, or buying a nice new frock, it’s because we know the risks even if we don’t get sick. Being a consumer of any more than is necessary is the new norm, and likely to be for a while.

Censoring reality does not change the trainwreck of all our lives – in business or not. Far worse than before our government capitulated. – Iris Gladigau

I want to know the daily numbers with COVID. I want to protect myself and my family. I don’t go to shops so often because of the reasons stated above. We have the right to know what impact the virus is having. People are important. Business will bounce back, but people can’t get their lives back. – M. Costin

There is nothing ‘normal’ about introducing a plague into a plague-free community. Business is hurting due to the bungle of border openings not because of COVID number reports.

People are rightfully prudent about keeping safe.   I feel sorry for small business and casual employees. However, lying by omission and dumbing down the truth of the numbers of infections is disrespectful to voters. – Maria Vouis

Mr Haese: you don’t think it’s necessary for us to know the daily COVID infection numbers? Really? You don’t think the public needs context? Revealing only the lesser of two evils (think smaller numbers) is politician-speak for hiding the truth. – Kevin Whitford

Commenting on the story: Richardson: SA’s COVID campaign will be unlike any other

Whilst you write you have “the smallest twinge”, I have a BIG twinge of wistful melancholy, that we did not listen to Nicola Spurrier and just adopt a “wait a moment” strategy to see what Omicron would become. Instead, Christmases have been ruined, business is bad, everyday life is disrupted from childcare, supplies in supermarkets and the list goes on. Additionally, a large proportion of South Aussies will experience getting COVID. WA life as they are living it does seem like a lost and forgotten Utopia for the rest of Australia right now. – Olga Kostic

Commenting on the story: Five deaths and 4274 new cases in dark day for SA

It’s high time we went to endemic status for COVID-19 and allowed our country to move on and endeavour to make Australia the free and prosperous country it once was. – David Peter