Coronavirus bringing out best and worst of society

SUNDAY morning was an education. It began with my weekly visit to the ABC’s Insiders program. What a revelation. Clearly there was no clarity or consensus in opinion among the panel when it came to the coronavirus.

The federal Chief Medical Officer Shane Wright was subjected to a grilling that was closer to a murder investigation than sourcing of information. Thank God for his cool and considered delivery. Still, I was left with the feeling he was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t.

Sunday night Kate and I had pancakes for dinner. Not because we wanted to but because it was what I could put together from what was in the pantry.

Kate pulled into Benowa on the way home from work to find Coles stripped bare and the greengrocer under pressure.

She arrived home and her first words were, “I can’t believe the panic and the greed out there.”

We are still working and mobile but many of the most vulnerable now face far greater challenges than they should in this panic buying. It leaves me wondering what will happen as this virus spreads as it surely will.

Obviously, this virus brings out the best and sadly the worst in us.

In my letter of 15/3, I wrote that this is a war, that how we fought it would change to meet battlefield conditions, that we were all in this together and had our part to play.

It is very early days yet. Things will become a lot harder. If this is our reaction now what are we in store for? An “every man for himself” attitude is not going to get us through this. We have to work together and remember that we are not the only people on the planet.

Our government must deal with facts. It must not be distracted by the multitude of opinions out there. It’s a delicate balance in keeping essential services going, our jobs, our ability to pay our bills and our health and finally, our recovery.

Government’s actions must be proportionate, as must ours. The way some are reacting makes the Government’s job more difficult and that will affect us all.

If there is any valid criticism in the way we are dealing with this crisis, it falls on the behaviour of those who panic and only think of themselves. To get through this, that attitude must change.