Nothing in the world is single, as the poet Shelley said, and we have proof of this in the general reaction to COVID-19. Some people have behaved badly and selfishly, but much good is coming out of the situation as well. Most people, I like to believe, have been forced to pause and think about the future of the planet, and surely we have all been encouraged to value life more, while realising how fragile it is.
There has been much generosity demonstrated, both on an individual and mass scale, while a new spirit of unity seems to be abroad: one has only to think of the online Coronavirus Global Response summit, hosted by the European Union, during which leaders of many countries raised nearly seven and a half billion euros for research purposes.
That spirit, however, seems to have its limitations. For some politicians are set on dividing people, rather than on uniting them. While China attended the conference, for example, Russia and America did not. Instead of acknowledging the need for international co-operation, President Trump is using China as a scapegoat, blaming China for the initial coronavirus outbreak and for the way in which it was handled. There is also a debate about the origins of the virus, despite assurances from experts and US Intelligence that there is no evidence to suggest that it was man-made.
Trump has already blamed the WHO at the worst possible time, and has withdrawn funding from it, alleging that it has not been sufficiently critical of China, which country, he claims, wants him to lose the next election. PM Morrison wants an inquiry into the working of the WHO, and also one into the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak, stating that such an inquiry is fair and reasonable, and could be helpful in the future.
But what is the point of investigating the origins of the virus? Especially at this particular time, when the speedy development of a vaccine is the prime requirement? Relations between Washington and Beijing, and also between Canberra and Beijing, have worsened. The repercussions are very serious: a friend from Sydney, just to give one example, writes of the spread of anti-Chinese feeling in Australia. Politicians, in appearing to blame China, must know that their actions, albeit misinterpreted, will add fuel to this particular fire.
My mother, a wise woman from whom I still seek advice despite her physical absence, once said, ‘People