Stop or slow?

A quick economic recovery requires that we keep people employed and the economy ticking over

As I write this article, around half the world’s seven billion people are under some form of lockdown, with India in its fourth week.  India’s lockdown ranks at 100 per cent in Oxford University’s stringency index.  The lockdown has stopped most manufacturing, so zero sales revenue for most companies.  Airlines, hotels, malls are shut, with no prospect of normalcy.  Shops and restaurants are largely closed.  Construction, our biggest job creator, has halted, affecting millions.  The net effect is a stalled economy, with dramatic consequences on employment.  Mahesh Vyas estimates that the unemployment ratio has risen from 7 to 8 per