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From: The Economist this week - Thursday Mar 05, 2020 05:14 pm
   
March 5th 2020 Read in browser
   
  The Economist this week  
 
  Highlights from the latest issue  
   
 
     
  cover-image   
     
  Our cover this week looks at how governments should prepare for the spread of covid-19. The pandemic threatens an economic crisis as well as a health crisis and both will need fixing. The disease is in 85 countries and territories, up from 50 a week ago. More than 95,000 cases and 3,200 deaths have been recorded.

 Yet our own analysis, based on patterns of travel to and from China, suggests that many countries which have spotted tens of cases have hundreds more circulating undetected. Iran, South Korea and Italy are exporting the virus. Now that America has begun looking, it is sure to find scores of infections—and possibly unearth a runaway epidemic. Wherever the virus takes hold, containing it and mitigating its effects will involve more than doctors and paramedics. A concerted effort is needed across the government, especially over how to protect people and companies as supply chains fracture and the worried and the ill shut themselves away. 		 
 
  Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-In-Chief  
     
 
  Editor’s picks  
 
  Must-reads from the current edition  
 
 
 
After Super Tuesday
Look at Joe go

The former vice-president has pulled off one of the great political comebacks
United States
 
 
 
Syria’s war
The battle for Idlib

Two tetchy autocrats, one propped-up tyrant and a big bloody mess
Middle East and Africa
 
 
 
Buttonwood
Penthouse to pavement

Share prices fall hard in recessions. It is tricky to take advantage
Finance and economics
 
 
 
Jack Welch
Captain of industry

The former boss of GE transformed American capitalism—in good ways and bad
Business
 
 
 
African democracy
How to beat the Big Men

Freedom is being stolen in Africa. Outsiders should back the Africans who want to reclaim it
Leaders
 
 
 
Banyan
Flu jabs

Japan may have to cancel the Olympics
Asia
 
 
 
Hydrology
Putting the wiggles back in rivers

Why thousands of British waterways are having their curves restored
Britain
 
 
  The world this week
  
     
  The IMF announced a $50bn financing package to help emerging markets cope with the outbreak of covid-19, after warning that the disease posed a “serious threat” to global growth. The World Bank pledged $12bn. Meanwhile, the novel coronavirus continued its advance outside China. Italy closed all schools until mid-March following a spike in fatal cases. The number of infections soared in South Korea, which overtook China in reporting new cases. South Korea is testing extensively for the virus, unlike other countries, where its spread may be underreported.
 
     
  More from politics this week  
     
  Jack Dorsey may have a tougher time running Twitter, after it emerged that Elliott, an activist hedge fund, has accumulated a 4% stake in the social-media platform and wants him to give up one of his two roles as chief executive of Twitter and Square, a mobile-payments provider. Mr Dorsey founded both companies. Elliott reportedly thinks that Twitter’s shares are undervalued because Mr Dorsey is not focusing on the company.
 
     
  More from business this week  
     
See full edition
 
  In case you missed it  
 
  One of our most popular stories from the past seven days  
 
 
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Graphic detail
Iceland leads the way to women’s equality in the workplace

But as our latest ranking shows, there is still progress to be made
 
 
  From Economist Films  
 
 
 
Film
How do America’s presidential primaries work?

John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, gives his essential guide to the process by which the country’s presidential candidates are chosen
 
 
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