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Botany and Ormiston Times, Tuesday, February 18, 2020 — 7
OPINION
ACCIDENT
Councillor has second bad fall
Govt response concerning
■■BY FARIDA MASTER
The councillor had a knockout moment in 2015 when she was out or someone who has delivering her campaign advocated for safer pamphlets and tripped footpaths for years, it’s on an uneven surface. She unfortunate that Councillor was knocked unconscious Sharon Stewart tripped on for a few minutes with a the Pakuranga Rotary walkcut lip and bruised chest. way and fell flat on her nose. It was just minutes after “We need to have an people had spotted her at audit done on footpaths, the Rotary Community River because it’s council core Carnival on Sunday afterbusiness,” Stewart had said. noon. Her husband David Looking at Sharon’s post too had a fall a couple of on facebook with a bruised years ago and had injured upper lip, chin and a bandhimself badly. aged nose it was obvious Cr Sharon Stewart’s Sharon’s post on the Councillor was in a lot of longstanding war with facebook got a lot of pain. footpaths continues. response. Anne Candy “After visiting the Rotary Photo supplied commented saying: ‘ShaRiver Carnival down at Bramley Reserve I was heading to ron that is shocking! For years you have my sister Lorraine’s apartment for a asked for safer footpaths and now you cuppa and tripped on the uneven sur- become the victim of inaction. Get well face. I became another victim of this soon Councillor.’ Liz Gensen commented:‘OMG Shaissue plaguing many parts of Howick/ ron get better soon. I see accidents Pakuranga and Botany areas,” she says. “There were so many people cycling like yours waiting to happen when I and walking their dogs and with the take my grandson for walks. Have comflax hanging over the footpath, I tripped plained before only to get a botched and fell. Luckily I fell in the bush and not up job done.’ Brenda Goodfellow posted: ‘Ouch on concrete. The Auckland Transport health and safety team were very help- hope you have a speedy recovery Shaful and immediately came to my rescue. ron, I so know how you feel. I myself They cleaned me up before I went to had another footpath fall while walkEast Care Accident and Medical Clinic ing and snapped a tendon in a finger now in a splint for eight weeks and if for a dressing,” she says. Sharon’s longstanding war with foot- it doesn’t mend, thanks to the council, not impressed at all!’ paths continues.
F
Simeon
SAYS
With Simeon Brown
checking people at our borders, we can ensure the right measures are being taken to protect all Kiwis. Last Friday, I met with the general manager of the Counties Manukau District Health Board to share my concerns about our response to coronavirus. I was reassured to learn that while the government response is lacking, it appears our DHB is well-equipped to deal with any cases that may show up in the coming months. In CMDHB’s zone alone, I was informed we had scores of iso-
The government must take this threat more seriously. Stock photo
lation rooms available at Middlemore Hospital with many of them ‘negative pressure’, in case the virus is indeed airborne as recent reports appear to suggest I was also told we have a multimonth stockpile of relevant safety equipment like face masks and personal protective equipment to serve health care professionals well if the virus does indeed make it here. While there is no need to panic, the government certainly needs to take this threat far more seriously than it has so far, and National will continue to put pressure on the government to do just that. Simeon Brown MP for Pakuranga
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We are incredibly lucky to live in a country like New Zealand during international health crises, like the recent coronavirus outbreak in China, where our geographic location can isolate us from harm. So far, the virus has not made itself to New Zealand and, as I understand it, there are no suspected cases either. There are people in quarantine such as those evacuated from the epicenter in Wuhan and many selfimposed, but the virus seems yet to reach our shores. Like many of you, I am concerned about the possibility of the coronavirus reaching New Zealand. As a country, we should be preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. This does not seem to be an attitude shared by this government. Instead of doing everything in its power to protect New Zealand from the coronavirus, the government has so far been multiple steps behind with its response. I have had many constituents approach me having recently returned from overseas who were concerned at the complete lack of screening done at our international ports as well as the lack of information made available. Besides being handed a pamphlet, no-one appears to be asking questions of those coming into our country, about where they may have travelled and whether they could have been in contact with the virus. It seems to me that this would be both a simple and effective way to help prevent the spread of the virus in New Zealand. By
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