The Great Lockdown enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic has driven governments across the globe to apply extensive bailout and fiscal stimulus programmes. On average, these measures of wage supplements, furlough payments, loans and grants to firms; and emergency spending on health and other public services, have been paid for by extra government spending equivalent to an average of around 5-6% of GDP with a similar amount on top from loan guarantees and other credit support for banks and companies. That’s at least twice as large as the fiscal and monetary stimulus and bailout packages delivered during the Great Recession of 2008-9.

'Furthermore, we find no evidence that urban protests reignited Covid-19 case growth during the more than three weeks following protest onset'

The Office support occupations group—which mainly consists of different types of clerks and receptionists—had the highest concentration of workers who were at high risk of job transformation, at 35.7%. This was almost twice as high as for any other occupation. Next, 20.0%Note of workers in the Service supervisors and specialized service occupations group (food service supervisors, chefs, butchers, hairstylists, tailors, shoe repairers, etc.) were at high risk, followed by 19.7% of workers in Industrial, electrical and construction trades. Also facing above-average risks were the Sales representatives and salespersons—wholesale and retail trade group, at 14.7%; Service representatives and other customer and personal services occupations, at 13.7% (e.g., food and beverage services, travel and accommodation services, security guards, customer service representatives); and Maintenance and equipment operation trades, at 13.2%. Thus, occupations facing above-average risks of automation-related job transformation were largely associated with non‑professional administrative functions (e.g., clerk or salesperson), and various trades, whether in personal services (e.g., butcher) or in heavy industrial trades (e.g., electrician).

Up to 40 Amazon workers at two fulfilment centres in the central German town of Bad Hersfeld have tested positive for the virus in the past two weeks

"The Caribbean island imports roughly two-thirds of the food it consumes at a cost of around $2 billion annually, in addition to key farming supplies like fertilizer, machinery and animal feed. But imports have nosedived in recent years as aid from ally Venezuela shrank following its economic implosion and U.S. President Donald Trump tightened the half century-old U.S. trade embargo."