In the long run, tackling Covid cannot be hurried

Covid is a marathon, yet too many leaders continue to frame it and attempt to deal with it as a sprint or, at best, a middle distance event and certainly something to be sorted before the next election.

It is, of course, necessary to deal with daily and weekly developments; however, the health, social and economic policy framing needs to be established in one, three and 10-year blocks. The economic disruption and costs should be managed by governments in a 10-year timeframe. The social supports should be sustained for at least an initial three-year period. The health response should be the sprint that never ends.

Stewart Sweeney Adelaide, South Australia