10 LISTENER MARCH 14 2020
LIFE
Don’t panic – yet
All of which
leads us to
Health Minister
David Clark,about whom I’m
not too sure.S
TE
VE
B
O
LT
O
N
BILL
RALSTON
C
an everyone lean forward, put
their head between their knees
and take several deep breaths?
Relax. Be calm. I know that
Covid-19 sounds scary, and for all we
know, one day it might sweep the
country in a pandemic that could,
sadly, kill a small percentage of those
affected. But at the moment we really
need to chill out.
Some of the media don’t help in
this process. The Weekend Herald, for
example, ran with a huge headline on
its front page declaring “PANDEMO-
NIUM” to announce New Zealand’s
first case of someone
infected with the corona-
virus. It wasn’t helped by
the ominous overseas-
sourced photo of someone
on a city street in full
hazmat clothing.
“Pandemonium” might
be a witty headline from a
smart-arse subeditor, but
it can only further fuel the
panic buying at Auckland
supermarkets that the
story reported on. Can
we make it clear – this is
not the apocalypse. It’s a
bad flu. If you are old and
infirm or have respiratory
or other health problems,
it could be dangerous. But
it is not Armageddon.
Far more dangerous, atIllness and death
aside, Covid-
could also have
serious economic
and political effects.
“There’s absolutely nothing in here for
the Stinking-Rich Community!”present, is a looming economic catastrophe because
of Covid-19. In trade terms, we’ve already seen the
effect on business with our biggest trading partner,
China, with the timber, tourism and tertiary-edu-
cation sectors struck hard. If the disease becomes
widespread in our other main markets, our export
earnings will choke and a recession becomes very
likely.
Domestically, the effect of a pandemic would
be equally catastrophic. The illness, of course, is
a worry, but the side effect on incomes, jobs and
lifestyles would probably be worse.
People would naturally avoid large public
gatherings, such as at movies, plays, concerts and
meetings, that could lead to infection. It would be
sensible to avoid planes, trains and buses where one
Covid-19 bearer could infect dozens. To be honest,
the workplace itself would become a hazard zone
for many staff, who may elect to stay home.A
nother consequence would be political fallout.
Whether that would be “catastrophic” depends
on your political outlook. The Government
has announced a special Cabinet subcommittee to
concentrate on the virus and its economic effects.Jacinda Ardern leads it, which is
helpful for the coalition. She is a good
communicator and the best “brand”
the Government has. Finance Minister
Grant Robertson is there, which is
also smart, as he is a key strategist and
all-round shrewd guy.
Labour realises that going into an
election in September with negative
economic growth, people crook and
dying and the rest of the population
scared is not a recipe for electoral
success.
It will need to look efficient, effec-
tive, caring and capable of dealing
with the wreckage of a worldwide
health emergency. All of which leads
us to Health Minister David Clark,
about whom I’m not too sure given
his record to date.
Our health system is not especially
robust, and if it comes under massive
patient pressure from Covid-19, with
frontline staff depleted by the illness,
I’m not sure whether it or Clark will
cope. Fingers crossed and
good luck to Ardern’s
subcommittee in propping
him up.
Whether National can
successfully skewer the
Government for a failure
to adequately deal with the
potential crisis is an open
question, but there are
fewer than 200 days before
we vote. In fact, if Covid-
19 is rampant during the
campaign, there may not
be much of a voter turnout
as people opt to self-isolate
rather than risk entering
a potentially virus-ridden
public polling place.
Right now, however,
chill. None of it may
happen. l