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I find this story to be mainly sad. Larry Page had a 12 year old son that was sick enough that a 1500 mile medivac seemed like the best option. New Zealand is s

I find this story to be mainly sad. Larry Page had a 12 year old son that was sick enough that a 1500 mile medivac seemed like the best option. New Zealand is somehow shut tight enough that this shouldn't have been possible. I think regular people SHOULD be able to medivac to western medical care during medical emergencies, even during pandemics. I feel bad for the New Zealanders that their government went to such isolationist extremes that this could even be in the news.

LightG 5y ago
An isolationist extreme that arguably saved tens of thousands of lives ... Choose your poison.
- ghaff 5y ago
  Hard to say. They're obviously still very isolated--which they presumably can't do forever. But they were able to wait things out until a vaccine was developed (elsewhere) though their vaccine rates are still pretty low.
- jaywalk 5y ago
  There are countless measures that could be taken that would arguably save just as many if not more lives, but we (collectively) don't believe they're worth it. Many people also believe that the things NZ and AU have done to battle Covid are not worth it.
  - LightG 5y ago
    And? You're just presenting the other side of "arguably". Thanks, but unnecessary.
    - jaywalk 5y ago
      I'm saying that the argument in "arguably" is one that could be made over just about any safety/security measure implemented by a government, and so it isn't much of an argument. Your little snipe was arguably unnecessary.
      - LightG 5y ago
        Not sure what you're trying to get to here. So what if "many people" believe X, Y, or Z. Who cares? NZ decided on a course of action. They implemented it. They arguably saved tens of thousands of lives. That's the truth. Their government was presumably elected democratically, so what more is there to say? The OP said he felt bad for NZ'ers. I don't, and I said why. What more would you like?
ectopod 5y ago
> Larry Page had a 12 year old son that was sick enough that a 1500 mile medivac seemed like the best option. Best option for whom? It is entirely possible that the child wasn't especially sick and could have been treated in Fiji, but paranoid billionaire parents didn't believe that Fijian medical care was good enough. The fact is we don't know and likely never well. I have no doubt though that billionaires are given privileges that are supposedly not for sale.
rasz 5y ago
Apparently not sick enough to consider immediate flight extra 500 miles to Sydney, but instead wait an extra day. Oh and as a coincidental bonus he was able to complete his residency application and receive it right away. “The day after the application was received, a New Zealand air ambulance staffed by a New Zealand ICU nurse-escort medevaced the child and an adult family member from Fiji to New Zealand,” https://apnews.com/article/technology-lifestyle-travel-new-zealand-immigration-b7184a3296dea7c8c276232d615da0ac https://apnews.com/article/technology-lifestyle-travel-new-z...

LightG 5y ago

An isolationist extreme that arguably saved tens of thousands of lives ... Choose your poison.

ghaff 5y ago
Hard to say. They're obviously still very isolated--which they presumably can't do forever. But they were able to wait things out until a vaccine was developed (elsewhere) though their vaccine rates are still pretty low.
jaywalk 5y ago
There are countless measures that could be taken that would arguably save just as many if not more lives, but we (collectively) don't believe they're worth it. Many people also believe that the things NZ and AU have done to battle Covid are not worth it.
- LightG 5y ago
  And? You're just presenting the other side of "arguably". Thanks, but unnecessary.
  - jaywalk 5y ago
    I'm saying that the argument in "arguably" is one that could be made over just about any safety/security measure implemented by a government, and so it isn't much of an argument. Your little snipe was arguably unnecessary.
    - LightG 5y ago
      Not sure what you're trying to get to here. So what if "many people" believe X, Y, or Z. Who cares? NZ decided on a course of action. They implemented it. They arguably saved tens of thousands of lives. That's the truth. Their government was presumably elected democratically, so what more is there to say? The OP said he felt bad for NZ'ers. I don't, and I said why. What more would you like?

ectopod 5y ago

> Larry Page had a 12 year old son that was sick enough that a 1500 mile medivac seemed like the best option. Best option for whom? It is entirely possible that the child wasn't especially sick and could have been treated in Fiji, but paranoid billionaire parents didn't believe that Fijian medical care was good enough. The fact is we don't know and likely never well. I have no doubt though that billionaires are given privileges that are supposedly not for sale.

rasz 5y ago

Apparently not sick enough to consider immediate flight extra 500 miles to Sydney, but instead wait an extra day. Oh and as a coincidental bonus he was able to complete his residency application and receive it right away. “The day after the application was received, a New Zealand air ambulance staffed by a New Zealand ICU nurse-escort medevaced the child and an adult family member from Fiji to New Zealand,” https://apnews.com/article/technology-lifestyle-travel-new-zealand-immigration-b7184a3296dea7c8c276232d615da0ac https://apnews.com/article/technology-lifestyle-travel-new-z...