March 18, 2020
Fears treatment could be worse than disease
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Meanwhile, a Māori political commentator is questioning whether the country is overreacting to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ward Kamo, who is married to National Party list MP Agnes Loheni, says while it is certain the number of people here with Covid-19 will go up, so far all cases have come in from overseas.
New Zealand has effectively closed its borders to tourists and authorities are preparing for months of social distancing and economic slowdown.
He says those decisions are being made by people with taxpayer-guaranteed jobs.
“They don’t have any of the economic worries that the people of Mangere, the people of Manurewa, the people of Cannons Creek, those that live and work in marginal jobs do have, and when job losses start to occur and we know the first people to lose jobs whenever there’s an economic downturn are our Māori people. When that starts to kick in and when the economic recovery starts to take time, people are going to wake up and ask was the cure worse than the disease,” Mr Kamo says.
The Government’s $12 billion economic stimulus package includes $5.1 billion in wage subsidies for affected businesses and a $2.8 billion income support package for the most vulnerable, including a permanent $25 per week benefit increase and a doubling of this year’s Winter Energy Payment.
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