Briefing

Reopening the Economy: What Are the Risks, and What Have States Done?


Abstract: The process of reopening economies battered by the COVID-19 pandemic has been the subject of considerable deliberation in recent months. It is generally agreed that accurate and timely monitoring of the pace of coronavirus spread is of the utmost importance in managing reopening. In addition, the discussion of reopening has often been framed by an assess-ment of the health risks posed by each economic sector. Some sectors, for example, involve especially close and protracted interaction among customers and employees, which can facilitate COVID-19 transmission. Accordingly, the sequence in which sectors are opened can have significant public health implications. For instance, by delaying the reopening of higher-risk industries, states can buy more time to augment their public health (i.e., testing and tracing) capacities.

https://doi.org/10.21799/frbp.rb.2020.jul

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Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Part of Series: Research Brief

Publication Date: 2020-07-31