Open letter from 265 Australian economists: don’t sacrifice health for ‘the economy

Abstract

In recent weeks a growing chorus of Australian commentators has called for social distancing measures to be eased or radically curtailed. Some have claimed the lives saved by the lockdowns are not worth the damage they are causing to the economy. Others have claimed the case for easing is strengthened by the fact many of the hardest hit by COVID-19 are elderly or suffering from other conditions. Some might expect economists, of all people, to endorse this calculus. But as economists we categorically reject these views, and we believe they do not represent the majority of our profession. We believe a callous indifference to life is morally objectionable, and that it would be a mistake to..