People forced into quarantine because of the risk of coronavirus could face discrimination when they return to work or school, a psychology expert has warned.
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Australian National University researcher Professor Michael Platow said two weeks' isolation at home was unlikely to cause any lasting psychological effects.
But the bigger concern was how people were treated once their quarantine ended.
He likened the current climate of anxiety to that which once surrounded AIDS, which he witnessed in the United States.
"In the earliest days of the outbreak, school principals weren't sure if they should let kids in the school," Dr Platow said.
While that attitude was now considered naive and cruel, they didn't know how to behave, he said.
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"We have to be careful of old-fashioned prejudice," Dr Platow said.
"I think it's going to be raising its head more and more."
He said the "contact hypothesis" dictated that the best way to eliminate prejudice was to bring people from different backgrounds together.
"In this case people don't want to come together because they're afraid to get the virus," Dr Platow said.
Dr Platow expected public messages highlighting similarities would start appearing as a way to combat the potential for conflict.
He said humans had a tendency to ignore the statistics in favour of information from people around them.
This might be an explanation for toilet-paper-gate.
Alex Crowe
Alex covers science and environment issues, with a focus on local Canberra stories. alex.crowe@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Alex covers science and environment issues, with a focus on local Canberra stories. alex.crowe@austcommunitymedia.com.au
