G20 ministers agree to keep markets open amid coronavirus outbreak

Trade ministers from the Group of 20 major economies agreed on Monday to keep their markets open and ensure the continued flow of vital medical supplies, equipment and other essential goods as the world battles the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
 

G20 leaders pledged last week to inject over $5 trillion into the global economy to limit job and income losses caused by border closures and sweeping shutdowns aimed at halting the spread of the disease.
 

In a joint statement issued after a video conference, the ministers pledged to take “immediate necessary measures" to facilitate trade in essential goods and incentivize additional production of equipment and drugs.
 

They said they agreed that all emergency measures should be "targeted, proportionate, transparent, and temporary," consistent with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and not creating "unnecessary barriers" to trade.