The Corona virus and the ridiculous toilet paper run

Typical scene today: a supermarket in Australia with no toilet paper

Contributed by Ugly

Bloody hell. I went down to the shop the other day to get some toilet paper. fpound none. I’m not completely daft. I’d seen the media reports about panic buying. But I didn’t expect it to be as bad as it is.

I didn’t imagine that it would happen on my own home turf. After a good search, I had to return home without, pondering how I would handle life without the stuff, once it had run out completely.

There was a time it was newspaper would do in an emergency. The plumbing doesn’t handle it these days.

This is really no joke. The ridiculous mess has come about because of a beat up about a viral epidemic at first called the Corona Virus, and now going by the name COVID-19. None of us wants to get sick, and we expect the authorities will do what they have to do to keep us safe.

We don’t expect that they will blow the issue out of all proportion, and this is exactly what they have done.

We should be concerned about epidemics. But this should be in proportion to the real threat. Check put the reputable medical reports it’s not as bad as they say it is.

If you catch it the virus you will get pretty sick. Your chances of dying from it are slim, that is, unless you are already frail. Your odds are better than any recent exotic flu. No one batted an eye lid over these. They didn’t cause a toilet paper to run.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison hams us the virus threat

What’s the difference? A bunch of governments chose to take up the opportunity to make a big deal far exceeding what is proper. There is no shortage of unscrupulous politicians who wouldn’t sink to this, if it suits their political ambitions. The present political climate and an opportunity are the difference this time. After all, this bash China and everything Chinese season.

Take Scott Morrison. He has been reeling from the fallout of the mismanagement of the bushfires, and desperate for a convenient distraction. So he has done more than just about anyone to whip up notions of a coming Armageddon. Some people seem to believe we could all die.

Let’s not forget that Morrison has been helped along by Rupert Murdoch’s new Corporation. Get people scared enough and some will believe anything. This is cynical manipulation.

A beat up does not mean that there should be no decisive action to protect Australians from infection. But this requires a measured and repsonsible approach, in line with the real requirements.

Rather than quarantining certain nations selectively, it would be much better put together have a thorough monitoring system, which checks all inbound people. Back this with a system checking the population for infection, using existing health facilities.

It would involve some cost, but surely much less than the damage to the economy through the present bombing raid style? This would serve us well, as a warming climate means more virus attacks in the time ahead. We need to be prepared.

But a proper approach will not frighten the population into not being concerned about other issues.

The sorry episode is revealing something else. Under the exterior of a calm and organised society, there is raw instability. Episodes like this give us a glimpse of it. How would it be if something much more serious happened?

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