According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), people who decide to withdraw from social life, for fear of the COVID-19 epidemic, could cause economic paralysis.

“The analysis suggests that…”

When asked why the global economic rebound is not happening given that the lockdown restrictions have been lifted? The IMF answers, in a report released by the French press, that one cause is that people are voluntarily withdrawing from social life for fear of the new coronavirus.

Another reason for this is the intentional social distancing, according to the authors of the report. “In fact, the analysis suggests that lockdowns and voluntary social distancing played a near comparable role in driving the economic recession,” they say.

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“Lifting lockdowns is…”

Given the prevalence of voluntary social distancing as a contributing factor to the recession, “lifting lockdowns is unlikely to rapidly bring economic activity back to potential if health risks remain,” the report’s authors also explain.

Moreover, some countries are lifting the restrictions while the number of infections is still high. In these conditions, “policymakers should be wary of removing policy support too quickly and consider ways to protect the most vulnerable and support economic activity consistent with social distancing,” they advise.

Their analysis also shows that “effective” confinement, taken at the onset of an epidemic, can lead to faster economic recovery by containing the disease and reducing voluntary social distancing.