Most Australians accept that temporarily shutting down large parts of the economy is a difficult but necessary part of beating the coronavirus.
But others are using the tough measures as an excuse to engage in a cruel debate that pits the lives of Australia’s elderly against the cost to the economy.
The journal Science first floated the question in late March when it published research under the headline: Experts weigh lives versus economics.
The article discussed the dilemma being faced by macroeconomists who were “more familiar with gauging how interest rates might influence employment”.
