'Complacency the enemy' as health service fights back against Covid-19

Dr Chris Luke

An emergency physician has said that complacency is the biggest danger to “flattening the curve” of transmission of Covid-19.

Dr Chris Luke told Newstalk’s Pat Kenny Show that “we are doing well, but we cannot celebrate just yet.

“I think our team at the top are playing a blinder - the danger I suppose is complacency. I think it's a bit like being three points up against the All Blacks in the first 15 minutes.

“There's a long way to go against one of the greatest threats, one of the toughest opponents we've ever faced. So I think the greatest hazard is complacency.

“This idea that 'oh yeah, we've definitely flattened the curve' - we haven't definitely done anything. We won't know for months, or even years, whether we were successful or relatively how successful we were.

My greatest concern is that we become a little bit too cocky or too complacent. We expect a surge.

“There's no doubt this is the calm before the storm, there's no doubt. There is cause for some incredibly cautious optimism. We really have got to be very, very vigilant.

“You know the old expression - the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. We have got to be incredibly vigilant for the next four to six weeks. If anything our comings and goings should be reduced even further,” added Dr Luke.