CALAMITY after calamity seems to dog the New Year. Just as the Sino-American trade spat took a breather, a transatlantic trade war appears to have flared. The US threatened to whack US$2.4 billion in duties on French champagne, beauty products and handbags as tit for tat for the proposed French digital tax on American tech firms.
And just as the Australian bushfires were being dampened by torrential downpours, after having scorched a land area equivalent to Scotland, taking the lives of 30 people and over a billion animals, and torching over 2,600 homes, another black swan — a sudden and unpredictable misfortune — has erupted in China.
It is the untreatable Wuhan coronavirus. A close relative of SARs (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) that terrorised the world in 2002-2003, the coronavirus has caused over 130 deaths and more than 7,000 infections in China alone.
Some 30,000 are under observation. The virus has spread to all provinces in China. This is despite the harsh lockdown of Wuhan and 13 other cities — combined home to 36 million people. The virus has also spread to other countries. Malaysia and Singapore have a number of confirmed cases, too.
On the political front, one segment of the country is predisposed to banning Chinese tourists from coming into the country. An online petition to do so has garnered 300,000 signatures. The intention is a noble one but a blanket ban on Chinese tourists may not be politically palatable on three counts.
First, the virus is already in the country. So a blanket ban may only delay the spread but not stop it. Second, such a move might cast an aspersion on the Chinese government’s resolve to contain the scourge. As Colette, a French author, once said: “It is wise to apply the oil of refined politeness to the mechanism of friendship.”
China has already suspended local and international travel in and out of Hubei province, the origin of the Wuhan virus. In an attempt to shunt a disproportionate amount of resources to tackle this novel virus, the government has sent 2,500 medical workers to Wuhan. It is also building apace two prefabricated hospitals with 1,000 beds each to treat the infected.
Third, Malaysia has also taken the pre-emptive step to ban tourists from Hubei. The Health Ministry has fortified health screening at all entry points and 26 hospitals are being prepared to handle any spike in cases. As Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has rightly pointed out, Malaysia will be justified in imposing an outright ban should the World Health Organisation declare the contagion as a global pandemic.
Stock markets around the world are reeling from this crisis. Travel restrictions by both countries are hurting the economy. It is being acutely felt by travel and transport operators, hoteliers and F&B operators. If the situation persists, it may well eat into our business and consumer confidence. Singapore and Japan are also beginning to feel the impact on these sectors given their popularity with Chinese tourists.
Last year, Malaysia received close to three million Chinese tourists, spending an estimated RM15 billion. We are the sixth most popular tourism destination for the Chinese after Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia. And Chinese-tourist arrivals have been surging since 2014.
True, life cannot be measured in ringgit and sen. But we do not want to lose out to neighbouring countries by our overreaction in imposing a blanket travel ban. It does not say much for Visit Malaysia Year 2020.
Here are five suggestions to overcome the political and economic anxiety caused by the outbreak. First, the government should issue a contingency plan and a protocol as to how it and the public should respond to this outbreak should it be declared a pandemic. This will include the allocation of resources — human and financial. Quarantine facilities should be made available.
Second, the government should be transparent, and it has been so far, about its actions to contain the pathogen. It should post regular bulletins as more details surface about this virus, the extent of the contagion and the steps taken to redress it.
Similarly, the government should constantly post information on how it is working with the Chinese government to contain this outbreak. This will allay people’s fears for their health and that of their family. And it will surely stem panic among them.
Third, the government should ease the pain of the affected businesses. It should work closely with related trade associations to assess the impact of this outbreak and lend support to the businesses by reducing their costs, helping them to retain workers. Fourth, for the long term, the government will have to accelerate its economic and market diversification plans to toughen our economic resilience.
Fifth, prevention is better than cure. The public has an important role to stay safe by taking precautions, including the regular washing of hands, staying away from crowded places
and wearing face masks and gloves, especially in handling livestock. Obviously, it will also include refraining from eating wild animals. Better vigilance by the government and the people should help contain the outbreak.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times