A leading economist has urged governments to consider public health first and foremost as they begin to discuss routes out of lockdown.
Justin Wolfers, a professor at the University of Michigan, tweeted today:
“I don’t think I’ve said this loud enough, so here goes: Every economist I know believes that the single best way to ensure a robust recovery is to beat the bug. There’s no economic health without public health.”
The comments come as governments across the world discuss plans to ease lockdown measures.
Boris Johnson will next week set out a “road map” detailing how people might get to work and how children can go back to school or into childcare.
The Prime Minister has said he wants to “get our economy moving” but there are concerns that the return to work could see the virus spread.
New Zealand has eased a strict lockdown amid hopeful signs coronavirus has been all but vanquished in Australasia for the moment.
In Australia, authorities have reopened Sydney’s Bondi Beach to swimmers and surfers and hundreds returned to the water as soon as the restrictions were lifted.
Germany and Spain have also eased the lockdown, with other European countries expected to follow suit soon.
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