Public Health or Economy? The COVID-19 Dilemma

                                                                                                                             by : Chilyatus Sariroh

In an article titled “Public Health or Economy? The COVID-19 Dilemma”. In this article, it can be recommended by several things that can develop during this pandemic. First, the value of statistical life approach can be used to inform policymaking in the current outbreak. Moreover, since we now know that COVID-19 predominantly affects the mortality of the elderly and individuals with pre-existing health conditions, an age-adjusted value of statistical life or health-adjusted value of statistical life, both of which reduces the value of statistical life by taking into account remaining life expectancy and health status respectively, ought to be used. Second, activities which are valuable but underpriced ought to be included in the calculation of costs and benefits. Most societies calculate the economic cost of lockdowns in terms of lost GDP and employment. However, a cost-benefit analysis should include not only those activities with existing market prices but also those which are underpriced yet valuable. For instance, they should include the value of recreation and leisure, household production, and potential marital and family conflict. And third, a wider range of policy options should be considered for comparison. For example, given that elderly residents are by far the most vulnerable to COVID-19, mobility restrictions could be targeted at them while allowing other segments of the economy to reopen (Quah, et al:2020). 

The author argued that the tradeoff between dead civilians during the pandemic and lost livelihoods is often seen as another all choice between complete lockdown and zero restrictions. A balance can be gripped (Quah, et al:2020) In contrast, I do not believe that economy and health can be both manage the situation. Someone must sacrifice one of them to balance the two. When a choice is made, there are certain consequences.

Although the community has now been threatened between losing their lives or losing their livelihoods but more importantly is the economy. if people are healthy but their economy is threatened then they will not be able to eat and live normally and will disturb their health and cause hunger and death. it was also very bad. So, in my opinion, what the government is currently doing is not our government prioritizing the economy over health. But more precisely our government prioritizes political ideology before rational planning, and the results will be more applicable and applicable. examples here are European countries trade a lot with each other. So, the UK and Germany are important markets for each other. Recovery from the lockdown levels in one country will have a positive impact on the other. they have now emerged from the economy rapidly with health facilities being improved and public health much better handled. The conclusion is we have to take the positive action from another country that lead us to make our economy steady and our health can heal as soon as possible.