Public Policy to Tackle Covid-19: Recommendations for Latin America and the Caribbean

The aim of this document is to examine the public policy options available to LAC countries and provide inputs for discussion by their governments. It focuses on the public policy challenges of managing the health and economic crises of the first two stages of the pandemic: (1) the health emergency and general confinement of the population and (2) the transition toward partial restrictions and a gradual restarting of economic activities. It does not address the third stage: economic recovery once the pandemic has been controlled. Specifically, the paper (1) discusses the important policy tensions or trade-offs that governments are attempting to reconcile; (2) describes the limits and restrictions they face in responding to the health and economic crises and how they vary among LAC countries; and (3) recommends measures and interventions and their sequencing over time. This document is part of a 3-monograph IDB series on public policies in the context of COVID-19. The other documents may be downloaded using the following links: From Lockdown to Reopening: Strategic Considerations for the Resumption of Activities in Latin America and the Caribbean within the framework of Covid-19 https://publications.iadb.org/en/from-lockdown-to-reopening-strategic-considerations-for-the-resumption-of-activities-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-within-the-framework-of-covid-19 Emerging from the Pandemic Tunnel with Faster Growth and Greater Equity: A Strategy for a New Social Compact in Latin America and the Caribbean https://publications.iadb.org/en/emerging-from-the-pandemic-tunnel-with-faster-growth-and-greater-equity-a-strategy-for-a-new-social-compact-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean