Dear Editor, Let’s think this through for a second (Reduced health clinics when border reopens, January 6, 2022).

Is our island really prepared?

Are our people prepared to be shut out of New Zealand with the only way in, being through MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine).

At present, New Zealand’s MIQ waiting list is booked a year in advance for people trying to get home.

Once we lose our Covid free status, we too will join the wait list for entering New Zealand.

If there is a case here, it will definitely spread, but this will only be the beginning of a situation that will be worse than our current.

We really need to weigh our options up, potentially 10 cases will see tourist stop coming, this will also block us from going to New Zealand.

Sammy Mataroa

(Facebook)

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When will we learn, that prevention is the cure?

The new variant is running amok all over the world, despite using the exact same health measures and is now forcing countries back into lockdown.

Opening our borders and putting our people at risk, is just going to put us in a worse situation than we are in now.

Economies can be rebuilt and bought back, suffering and loss of life can never be bought back.

Mark Rere

(Facebook)

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Unfortunately, the country cannot keep “loaning” off other countries. We need to start bringing money in rather than losing it.

Though I understand the frustration other people have regarding Covid, we need tourists. Reality is, the virus will eventually reach the country.

I suppose if we do our part and abide by the measurements and procedures put in place, then we should be able to manage and maintain this well.

Lily Paia

(Facebook)

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Dyslexia survey

Meitaki everyone for your comments and support – I’ve just seen this post, so I’ll answer them all here (Survey planned to gauge number of dyslexic kids, January 6, 2022).

The Cook Islands Dyslexia Society Inc, (CIDSI) Education Sub-Committee will review my draft survey and include the education aspects I may have missed. It’s comprehensive and will enable us to gather data in order to first design an assessment guide and roll out to subsequently deploy a programme into schools for students with dyslexia. It’s a big task. Our commitment is to achieve this before year end.

To include schools in the Pa Enua, an online survey is the best way to gather data and is based on teachers and teacher aides’ range of knowledge and/or experience of children with learning differences. I make a calculated assumption, there is very little knowledge here of dyslexia. We want to provide as much help as we can to our teaching staff, so it is vital we engage full participation from them.

We appreciate everyone’s time is precious – it’s a simple questionnaire and should take less than ten minutes to answer depending on how much you want to write. In-depth answers would be much appreciated as more knowledge is key to providing the best tools and programmes.

The data collected will be shared with Ministry of Education as the society has been working closely with the Inclusive Education Officer since its inception. CIDSI has a provisional role to provide support to the education sector, who of course will be running the programme in schools. However that translates, will be seen in the upcoming year. I’m extremely happy this collaboration is mutual.

We all want the very best for every child and I’m mindful, our youth will be caring for us in our old age. I humbly ask, that the community get behind our initiative and share this post with family and friends.

As to adults with dyslexia, we do have a strategy to provide future support. We’re very keen to hear from you.

Here’s to an exciting 2022 – the survey first!

Jean-Marie Francis

(Facebook)