The impact of lockdown to contain coronavirus spread explained

With the novel coronavirus count topping 10,000 and number of casualties soaring, Italy has announced an unprecedented lockdown for its 62 million people in a bid to contain the spread of the contagion.

World's eighth largest economy was already reeling under the impact of a contracting economy and COVID-19 has made sure that the Eurozone country will see a further decline on account of the measures being taken to prevent the virus from further spreading.

Lockdown aims at mitigating the risk of contracting the infection through community spread. Blanket shutdown has its own downsides, but it has effectively worked as a containment measure as in China's case. Others have asked for a more targeted approach and not a blanket lockdown.


Here's a peek into what a lockdown looks like:

* People are asked to avoid going out and stay at home except in case of emergencies.

* Workers are asked to avail the option of working from home and office are asked to close.

* Curfew-like restrictions are put in place as police patrols make sure that places like cafes, restaurants do not remain open till late and that those inside maintain a distance of 3 feet from each other.

* Impact on sectors like manufacturing, construction, retail and hospitality is huge.

* Daily wage workers and migrant labourers are particularly hard hit as major employers like manufacturing and construction companies cut operations significantly.

* Risks of an economy slipping into a recession increase manifold, leading to a spike in job losses.