EDITORIALS-CARTOONS: Editor’s Choice – Virus a test for positive leadership

With over 160,000 people stricken by the coronavirus across 118 nations, it is becoming obvious that the world’s will to respond to a shadowy threat that respects no borders is about to be rigorously tested. Over the past three months, spiralling measures have been set in motion to keep the virus at bay: Countries have tightened border controls, expanded flight restrictions and banned travellers from regions seen as likely sources of contagion. The dread of transmission within the community has triggered a cascade of social distancing measures, from the closure of schools and factories, to cancellation of concerts and sports fixtures, to the requirement that diners at restaurants sit a metre apart. This is the time for the extraordinary: The virus could be a cough away.

The fear of recession has not been far behind. To boost healthcare spending and in anticipation of economic shocks, policymakers have rolled out rate cuts, tax cuts and stimulus packages. At least US$130 billion (S$184 billion) in relief has been promised thus far and the taps are unlikely to be turned off soon. Yet the cure will call for more than money. Then US President George W. Bush was able to tell Americans to go shopping after the shock of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001. To bring back business as usual is a far tougher task when the end date of the pandemic is not in sight. This, then, is the moment to reach high, to strive for clarity and courage, to pool resources and close ranks against what is now a common global threat.