COVID19-Update, Recession and 5G

Good Morning and Welcome to this week’s Gospel and Culture update, by Alan Vink

COVID19-Update, Recession and 5G

Monday 6th April 2020

COVID19-Status Update.

As at this morning. Lockdown 12th day of 28 days.

Global: 1,237,420 Cases, 252,658 Recovered, 66,560 Deaths. Source John Hopkins University.

New Zealand: 1039 Cases, 127 Recovered, 15 Hospitalisations, 3 ICU, 1 Death, 2448 Average Tests per day, 1% Positivity Rate. Keep in mind that original modelling showed in excess of 4000 infected cases by now. So this is very good news.

The PM’s Media Conference yesterday at 1.00pm (COVID19.govt.nz) emphasised that our current policy of ‘Go Hard, Go Early’ is the right policy despite a growing public discussion raising questions about it. That said the PM acknowledged the ‘pain’ many businesses and people are already experiencing and many more will do so in the weeks and months ahead.

Recession

NZ is now (technically) in an Economic Recession. We have had two back to back negative Quarters of GDP ‘Growth’ which for Economists signals a Recession. In just a few days last week Radio Sport is gone, Bauer Media is gone, FE Investments is gone and Virgin Australia is gone. This is on top of major job cuts at Air NZ, THL, and NZME. This is saying nothing about the hundred’s upon hundreds of small businesses all around NZ.

The advice being given to businesses is the advice I would recommend we take on for churches. Basically, hold on to your staff and make a plan. I have prepared a short document that I am using as a ‘guideline’ to assist the churches I am working with. If you would like a copy please let me know.

5G -Revolution or Catastrophe

5G is the fifth generation of mobile networking service and is being introduced commercially on a small scale by all major United Kingdom mobile phone operators in 2019. Similar rollouts are occurring in China, Japan, South Korea, some European Union countries, the United States and in NZ. 5G offers high-speed, almost instantaneous (“super-low latency”) communication up to 1,000 times faster than 4G. This is achieved by using higher frequencies in the electromagnetic (radio frequency) spectrum to communicate, and by increasing what is called bandwidth efficiency, meaning more users can be connected with more connection points in a limited geographic area.

Because of its electromagnetic power there are a growing number of concerns about how it will impact our collective health, the environment, and cybersecurity. Will it be revolutionary—or a planetary catastrophe?

You may wish to do some reading around this. Start with this.

Alan Vink is currently the Executive Director for LeadershipWorx. Prior to this role he has been the Executive Director of Willow Creek Association NZ (WillowNZ), a Baptist pastor (23 years), Bible College teacher, and church consultant.