Following on my last article I thought it would be good to look at the possible economic impact of COVID-19 on Jamaica, especially in light of the report from Fitch that they expect a four per cent economic decline for 2020.

The Prime Minister (PM) laid out an argument, which many may not have realised the importance of, primarily because too many people, I think, are today driven by fear rather than thinking rationally. The PM stated, quite correctly, that in dealing with the situation he has to find a correct balance between total lockdown of the economy on the one hand; and risking the spread of the virus, and its impact, with no lockdown at all on the other hand.

Many people I see are driven by the fear of what is said about the virus, and many influenced by what they see on CNN about the number of deaths in the US. This fear has caused them to say total lock down should be in place, even though 50 per cent or more of our population has no savings and live “hand to

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business-observer/possible-economic-impact_191988