The announcement of the first New Zealand Covid-19 case on Friday triggered a shopping frenzy for emergency supplies at some supermarkets over the weekend, but infectious diseases expert Dr Siouxsie Wiles told Focus Live's Will Trafford people needed to react responsibly.
"We can worry but there's no need topanic ... if we start behaving like we're in a Mad Max movie, that is not the way to go."
Although there is one confirmed case in New Zealand, Wiles said the virus isn't widespread and urged people to remain rational and look out for each other.
"What we really need to be thinking about is getting out of that fear cycle and thinking how would we protect everyone around us and how will we think about the vulnerable people in our communities.
"One of the things we need to start preparing for is the possibility that this virus does end up transmitting in the community, like it is in other countries."
Wiles said people should have a plan if they had to self-isolate for two weeks, but people didn't need to go overboard.
"The taps are not going to stop having water in them, you're not going to need your camping stove. People should be thinking about things like: do you have a pantry full of yummy things? Do you have plentiful food, pet food and litter, sanitary products, soap, medications. If you have kids, do you have two week's worth of entertainment?"
Wiles said misconceptions could be harmful and cause people to overreact.
"Fear and stigma are the things that actively work against us dealing with outbreaks of things. So we have to be really careful about the language we use, because when people panic, they tend to do things that are not in everybody's best interests.
"We've only had one case in two and half months, that's kind of incredible!"
Wiles said it was unnecessary for the public to be buying up large on face-masks.
"Most people don't know how to wear them. What tends to happen with people who aren't used to wearing a mask, is they fiddle with them and then you have a much higher chance of essentially infecting yourself.
She warned that seeing people walking around with masks could be contributing to more hype.
"People shouldn't be wearing these now because we don't have this virus in our communities. Your chances of getting it today are just as they were a few weeks ago."
The Government's current response was appropriate according to the pandemic response plan, said Wiles.
"This person and their family did everything right ... they wore a mask on the plane which is what you should do if you're unwell to limit the spread of droplets. Then, once they got home, their family contacted Healthline and alerted the authorities."
Despite travel restrictions, Wiles said it was likely there would be more cases.
