An ominous parallel between the day of the Christchurch mosque attacks and a Covid lockdown in China.

Martin Harris 4/11/21

This author well remembers the day of Brenton Tarrant’s attack on two Christchurch mosques, March 15 2019, a few months before Covid would dominate the News. The narrative being immediately put about via the media sources was that there was more than one individual, and that schoolkids were potentially on the hit-list.

As a result, our three children were and all their schoolmates were put into “Lockdown”: Locked within their classes “for their safety” for several very long hours. Despite being told to go home, my partner and I, along with many others, opted to stand vigil outside the classrooms.

Lockdown: That word would soon become familiar to us for another reason entirely. A word we now associate with the COVID Lock Step Scenario. I always wondered at the usage of the terminology in the two crisis events and if the employment of that particular word was deliberate. A word associated with fear and safety. Psychological conditioning?

So it was with a chill down my spine that I read today of a “Lockdown” Covid incident in China that has close parallels with the Christchurch school lockdown response of March 15.

China’s school locks down kids overnight after one Covid case

A large group of parents were left worried when a school announced that they have locked the primary school kids inside to stop spread of Covid.

Dozens of primary school children were locked inside a school building after the authorities found out that a staff member had tested positive for coronavirus.

Parents were anxiously waiting to get updates about why were their children locked up in the school but the authorities conveyed the updates only nearly midnight.

A little around 11:30 in the night, the school principal emerged outside the institution and told parents that some children will be sent to quarantine while others will be allowed to go back home in the usual manner.

However, the parents were told that the children will only be released from this lockdown when the results of their Covid tests would come from the facility, which would be the next morning. The principal then asked the parents to bring clothes for their wards to ensure that the children can spend the night in school.

As per local reports by the Falun-gong linked New Tang Dynasty Television, nearly 35 students were eventually taken for quarantine, while others were allowed to go back to their homes…SOURCE

This leads to a personal speculation. Will we soon see New Zealand students subjected to a similar Covid lockdown? Was the locking down of Christchurch schools in 2019 a test? After all, in hindsight, it seems to have been clear right from the start that Tarrant’s rampage was directed specifically at the Muslim community and his manifesto, distributed to authorities immediately prior to the event (and now subjected to legal restriction) made his intended target and motive very specific.

Christchurch mosque attacks lockdown review – response to legal questions – Education in New Zealand

Christchurch mosque attacks lockdown review – response to legal questions

27 October 2020

A number of questions were raised as a result of the lockdown on 15 March 2019.

Can children be held by a school or early learning service if it is against their parents’ wishes? Does this depend on the time of day?

Schools and early learning services have a responsibility under Health and Safety legislation to keep staff, children and young people safe. This responsibility needs to be balanced against a parent’s right to take their child out of the school or early learning service should they wish to do so. Opening the school or early learning service to a parent could be a risk when there is unknown danger.

If despite being advised of the risks in letting children out of school or an early learning service in the midst of a lockdown or shelter in place event, the parent or caregiver insists the school/service must release their child to their care, the school/service will need to do so.

Note that in a single school or early learning service lockdown situation, NZ Police are likely to be on site and would thereby have authority over access to the site.

To prevent or minimise such situations occurring in the future, it is important that schools and services are clear in their communications when planning for and responding to emergency events. Parents and caregivers need to be aware of their role in an emergency which includes responding to information and instructions from the school or early learning service.

The guidance developed to support parents and caregivers understand their role in an emergency, will assist school and early learning service communications and engagement with parents and caregivers about their emergency procedures.

This will be published in multiple languages in Term 1 2021.

A template has been developed which schools and early learning services can use to summarise the key emergency management information their parents and caregivers should know. It can be edited to meet the needs of the school, early learning service and their communities….