COVID - 19 in Ethiopia_Economic Implications and Policy Measures_final_edited

On the other hand, policies to suppress the virus can be effective in delaying the spread of the virus in the short-run, but slow-down the build-up of herd immunity, and thus population is vulnerable to new outbreaks in the medium term. [...] This is due to the fact that the efficiency and effectiveness of the policy measures for reducing the economic damage from COVID – 19 crises depend on the economic status of the country as well as the expectations and beliefs on the corona virus crisis. [...] Looking into the details of the economy, the forms and extent of the economic damages from COVID – 19 and the policy measures adopted by developed countries and China to respond to the crisis described in the previous section may not be the same in Ethiopia and other developing countries. [...] Policy Measures to overcome impacts of COVID – 19 in Ethiopia The previous section has outlined some of the unique features of the country that have important implications to design health policy measures to overcome the spread of the virus and economic measures to minimize the economic damages of COVID – 19 crises. [...] Accordingly, while we strongly advise that the first priority of the government of Ethiopia should be “To act fast for the containment of the virus whatsoever the economic cost and save lives”, we would like to suggest the following social and economic policy measures to suppress the virus and reduce the health damage and the associated economic impacts of the crises in the short and long terms.