Politics doesn’t take a sick day

Abandoning Fiji would send the wrong signal to the Pacific ... vulnerable if the virus takes hold here.

Politics does not take a day off, even during a potential pandemic. Two press releases from opposition parties struck the wrong note on Wednesday. National’s finance spokesperson, Paul Goldsmith, warned weak economic growth and projected deficits meant the New Zealand economy was unprepared for the possible economic shock of the coronavirus outbreak.

By its very nature, the shock is impossible to predict and hard to prepare for. Finance Minister Grant Robertson described three possible scenarios, ranging from a level of containment that sees normality restored in two to three months to a full-blown global recession. In the middle scenario the outbreak continues and has an impact throughout 2020.

In other words, no-one can be remotely certain. The World Health Organisation’s Bruce Aylward praised China’s fast and aggressive response but said other countries are ‘‘simply not ready’’. Algeria and Brazil have just reported their first confirmed or suspected cases while Iran has had the largest number of deaths outside China, 16 as of Wednesday. Even its deputy minister of health, Iraj Harirchi, has the virus.

There have been more than 80,000 confirmed cases globally, with more than 2700 deaths. Italy and South Korea are new areas of concern.

Given the global spread and unpredictable threat of coronavirus, it is clear that political pointscoring should be off the agenda, as tempting as it might be in an election year. If the economy is pushed into a recession, due to events beyond New Zealand’s control, both National and Labour will have to revise their spending promises and planning accordingly. The public understands that without it being stressed by political opponents.

ACT leader David Seymour took point-scoring a step further when he demanded Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern return immediately from a threeday visit to Fiji to deal with a ‘‘worsening’’ coronavirus crisis. That is a glib over-reaction, as is his claim the New Zealand economy is ‘‘at a tipping point’’.

Nor is it clear why Ardern should come home, as her next stop is Australia, where she will discuss subjects including coronavirus preparedness with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Abandoning Fiji would send the wrong signal to the Pacific, which will be vulnerable if the virus takes hold here.

Seymour’s outburst can be attributed to a desperate need to be involved in political events.

Other positions require more serious consideration, one a request by New Zealand universities for an exemption from the China travel ban. It is easy to understand why they are worried. As many as 6000 students are stuck in China and hundreds of millions of dollars are on the line, as Victoria University vice-chancellor Grant Guilford told RNZ.

We may resile from this naked equation of higher education and money, and New Zealanders may also wonder why institutions that have tragically failed to care for students in the welldocumented cases of Mason Pendrous in Christchurch, and an international student with mental health issues who was disenrolled in Auckland, should get special treatment. However, Guilford’s suggestion that foreign students selfisolate for 14 days seems a workable solution.

That said, wider public safety should always trump economic considerations, especially as the same universities seeking an exemption are also warning us a pandemic is coming and New Zealand should be prepared.