The head of the Salvation Army’s employment wing has angered some staff by declaring that the coronavirus was blown up by “hysteria and panic”, and that taking vitamins would reduce their risk of serious illness.

As the Labor Party and welfare groups have called on the government to suspend physical interactions between job centre employees and jobseekers, Dr Graeme White, the national director of the Salvation Army’s public-facing Employment Plus agency, has urged his workers to adopt a “business as usual” approach unless they were required to self-isolate.

The Salvation Army's Employment Plus still wants its frontline workers in face-to-face consultations with jobseekers. Credit:Louie Douvis

“In general, the hysteria and panic that surrounds this virus outbreak substantially exceeds the threat,” he wrote in an email to his staff.

“This is new and blown out of proportion by the media and the hysteria in the community and at the supermarket … I believe that if you are not in a higher risk category and you are keeping up with vitamins and supplements your risk of serious illness is minimal.”