As lockdowns spread worldwide the potential damage is also increasing. According to the ILO, 1.6 billion workers are at risk of losing their jobs as a result of lockdowns:
Many of these people are day laborers and already live in extreme poverty. An interruption in employment is not just an inconvenience but a matter of life and death.
India recently went through a lockdown of several weeks. The unemployment rate has jumped to 27%. Millions could die from starvation, malnutrition, suicide, exhaustion, and drug overdose that are a direct or indirect result of the lockdown. Here is one description:
. . .farmers are taking their own lives because they canāt get laborers to harvest their crops. Police are accused of beating lockdown violators to death. Migrant workers are dropping dead after being forced to walk hundreds of miles home. Alcoholics are dying from drinking methanol because all alcohol sales have been banned. Children are dying of starvation.
At the same time, the WHO has praised Indiaās lockdown:
WHO Representative to India Henk Bekedam praised the countryās response to the pandemic, describing it as ācomprehensive and robust . . . It is vital that we come together in solidarity and help in breaking the chain of transmission and flattening the curve,ā he said.
https://www.rediff.com/news/report/un-who-praise-india-for-its-lockdown-coronavirus/20200325
How many people have already died of starvation as a result of Indiaās lockdown? We may never know since the government does not track starvation deaths.
My opinion is that the damage from lockdowns in the developing world far outweigh the potential benefits. Most of these countries have young populations and the risk from the disease is small to begin with. The risks associated with malnutrition, suicide, exhaustion are much greater than the possible benefits. In addition, large numbers of desperate people create an ideal climate for civil unrest and violence, which could kill many times more.
Are lockdowns really about protecting the elites who can afford to shelter at home?
Are the poorest people bearing the cost of lockdowns for the richest?
Why is the WHO praising lockdowns while another UN agency is warning about the dangers?