‘Resist the urge to scaremonger’
Politicians need to avoid scaremongering and point scoring and instead work together to help minimise the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
That is the message from about 50 infectious disease experts, public health scientists and medical professionals who signed off on an editorial published in the New Zealand Medical Journal on Friday.
University of Otago, Christchurch infectious disease expert Professor David Murdoch said it was a time for national unity. The editorial was not about curtailing discussions, but making sure they were evidence-based and took place in the right forums, he said.
‘‘Although it is election year, we insist politicians resist the urge to scaremonger in an attempt to score points in the media,’’ the editorial says.
‘‘Instead, they should use their moments in the spotlight to amplify messages of our health system’s preparedness and how New Zealanders can individually make a difference at this critical time.
‘‘A cross-party parliamentary task force on Covid-19 could be one way to ensure this cooperation happens in a timely and productive fashion.’’
The editorial follows widely condemned comments from National MP David Bennett, who said in a radio interview that people should be panic-buying. He later apologised and National Party leader Simon Bridges has said the comments were wrong and unhelpful.
Murdoch said the editorial was not prompted by any specific incident, but he and his colleagues were concerned about the potential for politicking in the lead-up to the election.
The editorial says the coronavirus outbreak is a genuine health emergency and infectious disease, and public health and primary care experts are advising the Government on the best way to deal with the threat.
‘‘Politicking and criticising these professionals who are working hard on behalf of the country does nothing more than undermine them and public confidence in our system.
‘‘We need our politicians to avoid cluttering the media landscape with political messages and undermining the life-saving information coming from the
Government, health professionals, scientists, and public health officials,’’ it says.
Health Minister David Clark said he had been in contact with National health spokesman Michael Woodhouse several times since late January to facilitate briefings for him on coronavirus and the measures the Government and health services were taking.
On Wednesday, Clark said he arranged a briefing for all MPs from Ministry of Health directorgeneral of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
Bloomfield talked about the role MPs could play in sharing trustworthy information and resources.
‘‘The Government remains open to constructive engagement from the Opposition on our COVID-19 response.’’
Bridges said there were a lot of areas where the opposition would agree with the Government and would support them.