Large-Scale Lockdowns Could Take a Heavy Toll on China’s Economy, Study Says

More large-scale Covid lockdowns in China could cause heavy economic losses, five economists from Chinese and U.S. universities have said in a recent paper.

Using real-time truck flow data within the country to measure the impact of lockdowns, the authors estimated that if the four largest cities — Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen — underwent a full one-month lockdown, the country’s real GDP, or inflation-adjusted GDP, could fall 8.6% during that period, according to the paper published on April 3.