When their professional leadership tells them masking is not necessary or they're told by other (trusted) professionals it could cause some level of harm to themselves, or that the effectiveness is questionable if not quite low, what are people supposed to think? Even the highest establishments have changed their recommendations over time and not minimal changes either. You can't tell the people you're the honest trusted experts, then constantly change your rules, especially when those individuals are caught breaking the rules themselves. For those who talk about setting an example and how much it means, it seems many of them don't seem to think that matters in this situation. Just because a professional may look the part and have the certificates, don't mean much to some people. Their actions are what speak.

Beyond that is the media. Putting someone like Bill Gates on there is idiotic. Whether you think he's smart or not, he's not seen as a medical professional, so why is he being broadcast when it comes to covid? Or when riots break out, and the news says nothing of it being a problem as per the pandemic, which they've focused on heavily for months, but instead fuel it? Then having 'experts' on who say a vaccine will take until later 2021 or even 2022 to become available and there being no chance it could be ready this year, only for it to be available now.

All this and more is reason enough not to listen for some. Those who agree that, "with great power come great responsibility", should also agree the people in charge have done a terrible job all around. The medical staff and people have been done a great disservice.

The quality of leadership has varied by country, and what we know about the disease has changed as we've learned more about it, but it's the scientific consensus that masks are beneficial, and it has been for some time now.

Yes, but that's a problem as well. You can't say NZ is a shining example of doing it right because they've beat it, then later on explain they hadn't actually beat it. You've just screwed yourself big time by way overexaggerating. Not to mention some people saw that as more of a political statement then a medical one.

How beneficial matters a lot. Just because eating something you don't like will make you a little bit healthier and will indirectly help others a bit isn't going to convince people to change their diet. It has to make a worthwhile difference to them. Having to wear the high end mask to get a reasonable benefit doesn't help either unless the Gov is going to cover that.

Think about how hard it is to deal with the untrusting, hostile public as a contact tracer

The constant use of misinformation and politicising is having dangerous consequences around the World   

https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-55280321 

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NZ has done a much better job than the vast majority of other countries, that's a fact, their cases have been in the single digits for two months, how many countries can claim that?

The expert consensus is that masks help, and even if they only partially helped, you'd be crazy to avoid such a tiny inconvenience when it can save lives.

The quality of leadership has varied by country, and what we know about the disease has changed as we've learned more about it, but it's the scientific consensus that masks are beneficial, and it has been for some time now.

That wasn't the point. The media, and some politicians, people with a lot of power, made NZ out to be perfection, when that wasn't the case. Not only is perfect an idiotic thing to proclaim to begin with, because nothing is, but to then try and make it seem like further outbreaks were no big deal, just shows they don't really care all that much about the illness and the people. Just need a headline that fits the script. If you want people's trust, you can't sellout.

Problem here is similar to the, how many people dying from an illness is acceptable question? How far should individuals go to try and save everyone else? The truth is we could all do a lot more to make the world a much safer place, but it would be a ton of minor things that people just won't do. Many already feel they don't have enough free time and have too many headaches, so asking more only really works if it's going to make a significant difference.

Talk is cheap unfortunately. The less of a connection someone has to you, the less they will care about you. Expecting everyone to care equally about everyone else in the world isn't realistic. Especially when some individuals or groups of them, are painted/seen as lesser morally than others, whether it's true or not. When more than a few people become excited enough to spread their joy/hope for an illness taking people down for good, well, beats me how you convince some others to care as well.

Yes, but that's a problem as well. You can't say NZ is a shining example of doing it right because they've beat it, then later on explain they hadn't actually beat it. You've just screwed yourself big time by way overexaggerating. Not to mention some people saw that as more of a political statement then a medical one.

How beneficial matters a lot. Just because eating something you don't like will make you a little bit healthier and will indirectly help others a bit isn't going to convince people to change their diet. It has to make a worthwhile difference to them. Having to wear the high end mask to get a reasonable benefit doesn't help either unless the Gov is going to cover that.

You are, perhaps intentionally, overcomplicating this.

NZ did one of the best jobs of any country in the world of handling COVID-19. Masks work, and acting as though disease control during a pandemic is authoritarianism is ridiculous.

Wow.. NZ and Australia cant control what is happening around the world, at times this disease gets through quarantine, it was expected and planned for, but as a whole those two countries have some of the best conditions for the free movement of people and business in any country because they have tight control of the virus due to the discipline of its people and governments, all this means greater freedoms and safety beyond what other countries can expect or enjoy