Re the ACT government's weak back to school COVID "plan". Now that the powers that be have redefined "close contact" to suit the needs of the economy, I find it appalling that "students will also no longer necessarily be considered close contacts if there is a positive case in their class".
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It's safe to go to school again, we are told, because if we don't know where COVID is, or who has it, we will be safe (psychologically). Keep us in the dark and feed us mushrooms.
Kids in preschool and kindy with no masks, who play in sandpits, dirt, share play equipment, eat and drink together, sing, and share air effectively live together at school.
There are numerous studies that detail adverse effects of COVID on our kids in the long term; vaccinated or not. These studies are not widespread because of the ethics of studying children. I've noticed the NSW government's approach (on which this so-called plan is modelled) is to say we are now taking a COVID-smart approach, not COVID-safe.
Hellen Keller said it best: "Science may have found a cure for most evils, but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings".
Siobhan Jones, Palmerston
Irreconcilable Oz Day differences
Kym MacMillan's need to argue his view of the importance of January 26 (Letters, January 27) simply confirms that we are past the point of no return on January 26 being a day that all Australians can commemorate.
Opinions as disparate as MacMillan's and Hull's are not going to magically resolve in our lifetime.
We should accept this and find another date, rather than continuing to pursue an increasingly strained and uncomfortable commemoration on a day that will only further divide us.
David Brudenall, Palmerston
Where is the United Nations?
You've got to wonder what the secretary-general of the United Nations is doing to justify his salary.
When Putin invaded Ukrainian Crimea in 2014, not a squeak from the UN. When the Russians shot down Malaysian MH17, not a squeak from the UN.
When Russian soldiers entered Eastern Ukraine to support Russian separatists, not a squeak from the UN.
Today, Putin is massing some 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border, has enlisted Belarus to assist him and is threatening an invasion of Ukraine despite his denials that no-one believes.
Does the UN not have any objection to Putin's attack on Ukraine, a member of the United Nations and if so, what in heaven's name does the UN stand for?
Ukraine wants to join civilised Europe and seek protection from Russia and warmonger Putin. Ukraine is not Putin's toy.
Coke Tomyn, Camberwell, Vic
The teen years of sacrifice
I am 16 years old. I feel that I have put aside my life for two years to protect the elderly from COVID-19. And I don't mind doing that. However, I feel deeply offended with older generations' actions over issues such as climate change and the housing market. I am beginning to despair.
I have sacrificed two of my 16 years, the equivalent of 10 years of an 80-year-old's life, to keep the elderly safe. Meanwhile, those 60 and over continue to exploit the housing market and emit the carbon that will drive my generation towards extinction.
My generation has sacrificed much to protect people who won't protect us. I fear I will never own a house, unless my parents die, and I probably won't make it to 50 because of climate change. I have no say in what is happening and can't even vote for better government.
Tom Timbrell, Marrickville, NSW
RAT a medicine or a test?
There is confusion about whether a RAT is a medication or a screening test. If a person with a forthcoming 80th birthday has a RAT it will show if she has the virus but not protect her against it.
She might catch it from one of her guests. To protect herself she must test all the guests, and admit only those who test negative. This could be a very large number of tests, much more than the number she could acquire in three months from a chemist for free.
