That a Sinn Féin leader should speak about her desire for Irish unity should come as no surprise.
And yet it seems that Mary Lou McDonald talking about unity, from the perspective of the Covid crisis, has once again caused much clutching of pearls in certain quarters.
Mrs McDonald told the Sunday Times newspaper that in her view the current situation "dwarfs Brexit in terms of reflecting the danger of partition".
"We have an all-Ireland single policy for animal health but not for public health", she added.
She has stood accused of using the coronavirus crisis for "political opportunity".
Ulster Unionist Party leader Steve Aiken saying "using the tragic death of many hundreds of people" as an opportunity "to score political points is perverse".
That we as an island have managed much better in relation to coronavirus than the originally modelling predicted is to be welcomed.
But it should also be examined as part of any study of this time, in terms of how geography and uniformity of policy helped contain and hindered the spread of the virus, along with the impact of differing policies North and South.
That learning should come from this life altering experience is vital.
The first concern should always be public health and safety, not pitting Dublin and London against each other in a gladiatorial stand off.
Unfortunately in the early days of this crisis that is exactly what has happened.
Despite the comments of the Sinn Féin leader it is unlikely that the Covid crisis is going to persuade the undecided of the merits of a united Ireland.
But what it has done is show the vital, life saving importance of closer cooperation between the two jurisdictions when it comes to disaster planning.
That more forward planning has went into protecting livestock on an all island basis than it has people should trouble us all.
It seems that stating the obvious has become controversial in these tense and troubling times.
