Hair-trigger race-botherer Tim Soutphommasane can scream “racism!” all he likes, but as COVID-19 hits Australia, most of us can’t help noticing a commonality.
The domestic spread of the virus is now underway, and it appears to have begun in the sprawling suburbs of northwest Sydney.
The latest case of COVID-19 is in Epping, where the infection of a teenager has shut down the local boys’ high school of 1200 students.
Earlier this week, cases emerged five kilometres away in Macquarie Park, where four residents of the Dororthy Henderson Lodge aged care facility and a nurse working at the centre came down with COVID-19. One of the residents died. Authorities do not know how the nurse, who had not recently travelled overseas, acquired the infection.
Just what is it about that area? Well, a high population of Chinese Australians. Nearly one in five residents were born in China, Hong Kong or Taiwan. But so what? Many other areas of Sydney have high Chinese populations, too. But it is a much wealthier area than other parts of Sydney and very mobile. That means that summer holidays commonly sees many families holidaying in Asia.
The area is also home to Macquarie University, which has a Centre for Middle East and North African Studies. Iran, of course, is the third-ranking epicentre for the disease in the world.
The other case in the area is that of a university lecturer who worked at Macquarie University, also in Ryde. He had recently returned from Iran.
So, despite the self-righteous pearl-clutching of Soupy and his pals, it’s not a “racial” issue: it’s about wealth and privilege.
This begs the question of whether holidaymakers, not to say globe-trotting academics, should have been better managed. At the moment, suspected cases are merely “requested” to “self-isolate”. Which goes just about as you would expect: an Iranian traveller who was later confirmed to be infected decided to stop off and do his shopping on his way home to “self-isolate”.
But then, the alternative for the government – an authoritarian crackdown – would be just as fraught. Race-baiting activists would go off their heads, almost certainly aided and abetted by communist party agents. The academic class, always looking out for an excuse to kick a conservative government anyway, wouldn’t take quietly to having their privileges infringed, either.
Besides, as events in China – so far as anyone can follow them from outside the communists’ veil of secrecy – show, as well as in Iran, authoritarian states fare even worse.
So far, the Australian government seems to be steering the best course it can. Which includes ignoring the globalists who appear to be dancing to China’s tune.
The World Health Organisation has yet to declare COVID-19 a pandemic, but the Australian government is operating as if it is one, and the NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard is now in no doubt that the virus cannot be contained.
theaustralian.com.au/nation/sydneys-coronavirus-epicentre-in-citys-northwest-revealed/
Scott Morrison seems to have learned his lesson from this summer’s bushfires: it doesn’t really matter what the government can do, appearances matter. Nikki Savva is no fan of Morrison, but grudgingly acknowledges his handling of the issue.
The Prime Minister has appeared almost daily at press conferences, swamped television programs and saturated parliament with carefully scripted answers to his own carefully scripted Dorothy Dixers as he provides updates on the progress of the virus and the government’s plans to deal with its consequences.
He sounds more confident than he did a few weeks ago, confident enough to bridle at unwelcome questions when he is doing his best to show he commands and controls. Even while declaring the Coronavirus Emergency Response Plan, then urging citizens to remain calm, his early responses — led, guided and prompted by health experts with highly respected Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy in charge — have been timely and effective.
But, as Savva says, the potential consequences of COVID-19 for both public health and the economy are dire. So far, Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg appear to be treading a sensible middle path. All the rest of us can do is just wash our hands properly (since when do people have to be told, by anyone other their mother, to wash their hands, anyway?) and stop plundering supermarkets of toilet paper.
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