Zero Covid makes sense as an objective prior to the recent Delta outbreak. Delta's R0 is too high for zero covid to be a realistic objective. The experiences of other places that have tried to go for elimination and failed is evidence of this. That's why it's an ideological pipe dream and it's why I may sound negative about it. It's a fantasy. New Zealand will never be Covid zero from this point. Even if they get to Covid zero (which they won't), the only way to maintain that is to permanently ban international travel, which would be a move that has no public health justification once high vaccination rates are reached.

Managing covid to reduce the burden on healthcare and buying time for vaccinations is not the same thing as going for an impossible covid zero.