4 ms·

Restricting travel is not a punishment. The naming issue was problematic for several reasons, but mostly populist: we don't want the stigma of a COVID variant

Restricting travel is not a punishment. The naming issue was problematic for several reasons, but mostly populist: we don't want the stigma of a COVID variant being 'blamed' on a region. "Fighting infectious diseases is a long game that involves the whole world." Yes, that means if you're hosting a new variant, you're going to face travel restrictions . Just like if you get infected, you have to quarantine. And that's that.

throwaway4good 5y ago
I should have used a more neutral word than punish. Just think of it in terms of simple economic incentives. Travel restrictions on SA imposes a massive cost on the economy of SA. Why should a country spend money on actively looking for new variants, when this is the consequence when a new variant is found?
LAC-Tech 5y ago
Considering the region in question: 1. actively tried to cover up the disease as it spread outside its borders and 2. did the same thing with another coronavirus in 2003 I think there's a lot of us who wouldn't have minded if this virus was named after them, and very much blame them.
- jollybean 5y ago
  The names having nothing to do with China. They were the 'Brazil Variant' , 'South African Variant' and later 'Indian Variant'. They changed to a more regularized system which is fair. Having the 5B plebes hear about 'The Brazil Variant' I think is just bad populism. When this is all over, if historians want to refer to it as the 'Chinese Flu' then so be it ...
maxerickson 5y ago
Restricting travel is not punishment, but it starts to look an awful lot like it if it is essentially arbitrary. How many of the places that have identified incoming travelers with the new variant have enough genetic surveillance of infections to rule out the presence of the variant in their general population?
- jollybean 5y ago
  NZ AZ and Taiwan have kept the virus out very well with border controls. Everyone realizes that there's no way to keep it out without ultra-strict controls with most nations do not have, but, they can delay the virus - hopefully until after the holidays, they can smooth out how quickly it erupts, and they can buy time to further understand it's impact.
  - maxerickson 5y ago
    Right, but quarantine for everybody is at least a different kind of arbitrary. I wouldn't say it is arbitrary at all given how infection works, but the point can likely be argued. Imposing a travel ban on a country that does a lot of surveillance and then not on countries that do less surveillance is the worst kind of arbitrary.

throwaway4good 5y ago

I should have used a more neutral word than punish. Just think of it in terms of simple economic incentives. Travel restrictions on SA imposes a massive cost on the economy of SA. Why should a country spend money on actively looking for new variants, when this is the consequence when a new variant is found?

LAC-Tech 5y ago

Considering the region in question: 1. actively tried to cover up the disease as it spread outside its borders and 2. did the same thing with another coronavirus in 2003 I think there's a lot of us who wouldn't have minded if this virus was named after them, and very much blame them.

jollybean 5y ago
The names having nothing to do with China. They were the 'Brazil Variant' , 'South African Variant' and later 'Indian Variant'. They changed to a more regularized system which is fair. Having the 5B plebes hear about 'The Brazil Variant' I think is just bad populism. When this is all over, if historians want to refer to it as the 'Chinese Flu' then so be it ...

maxerickson 5y ago

Restricting travel is not punishment, but it starts to look an awful lot like it if it is essentially arbitrary. How many of the places that have identified incoming travelers with the new variant have enough genetic surveillance of infections to rule out the presence of the variant in their general population?

jollybean 5y ago
NZ AZ and Taiwan have kept the virus out very well with border controls. Everyone realizes that there's no way to keep it out without ultra-strict controls with most nations do not have, but, they can delay the virus - hopefully until after the holidays, they can smooth out how quickly it erupts, and they can buy time to further understand it's impact.
- maxerickson 5y ago
  Right, but quarantine for everybody is at least a different kind of arbitrary. I wouldn't say it is arbitrary at all given how infection works, but the point can likely be argued. Imposing a travel ban on a country that does a lot of surveillance and then not on countries that do less surveillance is the worst kind of arbitrary.