NSTworld: On top of the tragic human toll, the coronavirus also threatens incalculable social, economic and political costs, and to trigger a wave of change that will shape our world for years to come.
Over 60,000 people have lost their lives to Covid-19 and there are more than a million confirmed cases with the outbreak yet to reach its peak across the developed and emerging world.
Restrictions on movement will help some governments tighten autocratic control, and civil liberties could be eroded in the name of gaining information on virus spread. Much will depend on how long national economies manage to withstand the storm, and the performance of governments in tackling the threat.US President Donald Trump initially appeared to shrug off the seriousness of the threat and is now faced with a full-scale crisis.
The world’s wealthiest powers enjoy a cushion that will allow them to keep the economy ticking over during the crisis, to compensate workers laid off, and to resume economic activity quickly afterwards. Countries like Russia and Turkey, led by the same strongmen for two decades, will be hoping that their measures will be enough to spare them the worst of the virus and any political consequences.
Pratap Bhanu Mehta, professor of political sciences at India’s Ashoka University, said there is a risk of conflicts over trading systems.The European Union, in a year that it wanted to show solidity after Brexit, has been sorely tested.
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