I suspect that's why it's in ~misc rather than ~news, and was explicitly labeled 'opinion'. That seems to me to be exactly what the article does. It points out the various ways in which the...
I'd like to point out that first of all this is an op-ed from an Iranian-Australian.
I suspect that's why it's in ~misc rather than ~news, and was explicitly labeled 'opinion'.
If the Iranian government is negligent at containing COVID-19 then focus should be put on that negligence itself...
That seems to me to be exactly what the article does. It points out the various ways in which the Iranian authorities are being negligent, e.g. by misreporting when the infections first started and their numbers, and by also refusing to implement any containment measures... which the author suggests is potentially going to make the outbreak much worse (hence the headline).
Anyone who doesn't read the article for themself deserves whatever misunderstandings come their way. Actually, it says "an even greater global outbreak". In other words, we can expect a global...
Most people read the comments before reading the article
Anyone who doesn't read the article for themself deserves whatever misunderstandings come their way.
Except the title itself frames it in terms of it leading to a "greater global outbreak"
Actually, it says "an even greater global outbreak". In other words, we can expect a global outbreak that will be even greater than the global outbreak we would expect if countries like Iran were not negligent. It's not saying "Iran is responsible for the global Covid-19 outbreak", it's saying "Iran is making the global Covid-19 outbreak even greater than it was already going to be".
And that is a true statement. Iran has been negligent in containing Covid-19.
Those extra infections might not have happened if Iran had been more proactive in managing the disease within its own country. That woman might not have been infected in the first place if the Iranian authorities had contained the virus better. Or, if she had been infected, the Iranian medical people would have detected her infection if they had done more testing. If her infection had been detected, she could have been put in isolation in an Iranian medical facility. If any of these things had been done, she would not have had the chance to infect up to 40 other people in another country (with the multiplier effect when those 40 people infect other people). Therefore, Iran has made the global outbreak of this virus even greater than it already was.
This is just petty blame-shifting. "It's not my fault your garden is filled with rubbish! All I did was deposit my rubbish in my backyard until the pile was 3 metres high. It's not my fault it...
Those 40 people would not have been effected if the Australian government were regularly screening people or if it had better quarantines for all incoming travellers.
This is just petty blame-shifting.
"It's not my fault your garden is filled with rubbish! All I did was deposit my rubbish in my backyard until the pile was 3 metres high. It's not my fault it spilled over the fence into your garden. If you didn't want my rubbish in your garden, you should have built a taller fence to keep it out."
At some point, my neighbour has to take responsibility for their rubbish spilling into my garden.
Asian countries are having temperature checks at all major traffic points while Western governments have done very little in comparison.
Ahem. Australia was one of the first countries to invoke an emergency plan. And here is an interview with Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram, where he says: "We've already intervened with probably half a million passengers over the past couple of weeks, where we've enhanced our screening of particular flights and passengers that have come to Australia." And we have now banned people travelling directly from Iran to Australia, just like we already did for China.
The title does that because that's precisely what the author is worried might happen as a result of their negligence, and they even provide some evidence to back it up:
The title does that because that's precisely what the author is worried might happen as a result of their negligence, and they even provide some evidence to back it up:
What is most worrying is that their negligence may also lead to an even greater global viral outbreak. On Sunday, a man returning from Iran has become the fifth case of COVID-19 reported in NSW. On Saturday, on the Gold Coast, a 63-year-old female beautician who had also returned from Iran became the sixth person in Queensland diagnosed with COVID-19. We also know that Shia Muslim pilgrims who travelled to Qom make up the majority of cases that have been found in Pakistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq and Lebanon, as well in multiple cities across Iran. Australia has imposed an entry ban on foreigners from Iran.
Why not? If Canada, my own home country, was being negligent and potentially making the outbreak worse than it otherwise might have been, I think it would be entirely appropriate (and valuable)...
Why not? If Canada, my own home country, was being negligent and potentially making the outbreak worse than it otherwise might have been, I think it would be entirely appropriate (and valuable) for us to be criticized for it. How else do you get people to learn from their mistakes if not by pointing out when and how they fucked up?
Agree to disagree there, I guess. I feel like ignoring a problem is far more likely to lead to a far worse outcome than any potential fallout from putting forth objective criticism might. In this...
Agree to disagree there, I guess. I feel like ignoring a problem is far more likely to lead to a far worse outcome than any potential fallout from putting forth objective criticism might. In this particular case, because even if Iran refuses to listen to the criticism themselves, it will at least increase awareness of the issue and increase the odds of other countries taking appropriate containment actions in response, e.g. by banning or medically isolating/screening all inbound traffic from Iran.
... who just happens to be a biologist and the science editor of a Persian-language television station. It's not like he's some random idiot off the street.
I'd like to point out that first of all this is an op-ed from an Iranian-Australian .
... who just happens to be a biologist and the science editor of a Persian-language television station. It's not like he's some random idiot off the street.
I suspect that's why it's in ~misc rather than ~news, and was explicitly labeled 'opinion'.
That seems to me to be exactly what the article does. It points out the various ways in which the Iranian authorities are being negligent, e.g. by misreporting when the infections first started and their numbers, and by also refusing to implement any containment measures... which the author suggests is potentially going to make the outbreak much worse (hence the headline).
Anyone who doesn't read the article for themself deserves whatever misunderstandings come their way.
Actually, it says "an even greater global outbreak". In other words, we can expect a global outbreak that will be even greater than the global outbreak we would expect if countries like Iran were not negligent. It's not saying "Iran is responsible for the global Covid-19 outbreak", it's saying "Iran is making the global Covid-19 outbreak even greater than it was already going to be".
And that is a true statement. Iran has been negligent in containing Covid-19.
This has already resulted in some cases of Covid-19 here in Australia. One of those cases is an Iranian-Australian who works as a beautician here. She "saw up to 40 people at a Southport salon on Thursday before she started to develop symptoms and went home". That's potentially 40 more cases of Covid-19 here in Australia, which has been relatively free of the disease until now.
Those extra infections might not have happened if Iran had been more proactive in managing the disease within its own country. That woman might not have been infected in the first place if the Iranian authorities had contained the virus better. Or, if she had been infected, the Iranian medical people would have detected her infection if they had done more testing. If her infection had been detected, she could have been put in isolation in an Iranian medical facility. If any of these things had been done, she would not have had the chance to infect up to 40 other people in another country (with the multiplier effect when those 40 people infect other people). Therefore, Iran has made the global outbreak of this virus even greater than it already was.
This is just petty blame-shifting.
"It's not my fault your garden is filled with rubbish! All I did was deposit my rubbish in my backyard until the pile was 3 metres high. It's not my fault it spilled over the fence into your garden. If you didn't want my rubbish in your garden, you should have built a taller fence to keep it out."
At some point, my neighbour has to take responsibility for their rubbish spilling into my garden.
Ahem. Australia was one of the first countries to invoke an emergency plan. And here is an interview with Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram, where he says: "We've already intervened with probably half a million passengers over the past couple of weeks, where we've enhanced our screening of particular flights and passengers that have come to Australia." And we have now banned people travelling directly from Iran to Australia, just like we already did for China.
The title does that because that's precisely what the author is worried might happen as a result of their negligence, and they even provide some evidence to back it up:
Why not? If Canada, my own home country, was being negligent and potentially making the outbreak worse than it otherwise might have been, I think it would be entirely appropriate (and valuable) for us to be criticized for it. How else do you get people to learn from their mistakes if not by pointing out when and how they fucked up?
Agree to disagree there, I guess. I feel like ignoring a problem is far more likely to lead to a far worse outcome than any potential fallout from putting forth objective criticism might. In this particular case, because even if Iran refuses to listen to the criticism themselves, it will at least increase awareness of the issue and increase the odds of other countries taking appropriate containment actions in response, e.g. by banning or medically isolating/screening all inbound traffic from Iran.
... who just happens to be a biologist and the science editor of a Persian-language television station. It's not like he's some random idiot off the street.