Tom Swarbrick caller: Ignore coronavirus advice, panic-buying is "sick"
9 March 2020, 13:37
After Tesco introduced rationing in some of its stores, Tom Swarbrick was taking calls on the public's reaction to the spread of coronavirus.
One caller shared his anger with Tom on how the public are taking disaster measures for preventing coronavirus. He claimed that the government's information is too sensational and the public should ignore the advice to be more careful with their personal hygiene.
Tom couldn't accept the point that Geoff was making, making the point that "people are dying" and that "this is not making stuff up". Tom challenged the point of view of the caller, claiming that "people are having a response to that which is they quite like to protect themselves".
Geoff dismissed the worries of Tom, making the point that there's no point in worrying because there's only be =en three deaths so far and they're all older people.
"It's not as if we've had any deaths of people my age" the caller quipped, which Tom didn't take lightly. He suggested that by Geoff's logic "until we have people dropping dead in the streets you're not going to do anything about it".
Geoff suggested that all the hysteria is over nothing, branding coronavirus "something worse than the common cold".
Agitated, the caller demanded the public to "stop stockpiling toilet rolls" and claimed the moves to be completely selfish, not considering the needs of the rest of the population.
Tom claimed the public are naturally acting on worry for what may come down the line. Geoff wasn't buying the public's precaution and said "they say ignorance is bliss, it's quite correct".
"More people have died of the normal flu this year" Geoff claimed and used the opportunity to conclude that the public need to take into account the numbers dead rather than the numbers infected.
