The weekend just gone was one where an epidemic began to have more economic consequences. In a world where there appears to be a Trump Tweet for pretty much everything this one from Friday is not going so well.
China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!
The media has revved itself up about the Corona virus and is in some cases treating it like a television series I remember from my childhood called Survivors.
It concerns the plight of a group of people who have survived an apocalyptic plague pandemic, which was accidentally released by a Chinese scientist and quickly spread across the world via air travel. Referred to as “The Death”, the plague kills approximately 4,999 out of every 5,000 human beings on the planet within a matter of weeks of being released. ( Wiki)
Fortunately we are a long way away from that situation although it must be awful for those affected. Let us switch our emphasis to the economic affects as we live up to the description of economics as the dismal science.
China
More and more cities are in lock down and this morning there has been this announcement.
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The Shanghai government has said companies in the city are not allowed to resume operations before Feb. 9, an official at the municipality announced at a press conference on Monday.
The measure is applicable to government and private companies but is not applicable to utilities and some other firms such as medical equipment companies and pharmaceutical companies, the official said.
China’s cabinet has announced it will extend the Lunar New Year holidays to Feb. 2, to strengthen the prevention and control of the new coronavirus, state broadcaster CCTV reported early on Monday.
This will mean a lot of economic disruption as highlighted here by the Financial Times.
the manufacturing hub of Suzhou has postponed the return to work of millions of migrant labourers for up to a week. Suzhou is one of the world’s largest manufacturing hubs where companies such as iPhone contractor Foxconn, Johnson & Johnson and Samsung Electronics have factories.
