Spain has suffered a double whammy during the pandemic. In a group of sixty countries, it is one of those hit hardest in terms of the decline in GDP, and it is also ranks significantly above the average as regards accumulated excess mortality during the pandemic. The research conducted over the last year suggests some of the reasons for this two-fold negative impact:
→ Spain’s economy focuses on particularly vulnerable sectors
→ Lack of a speedy, coordinated response to the pandemic, and over-optimistic lifting of restrictions
→ Lack of protection for dependent senior citizens
This shows that Spain (along with other countries in similar circumstances) could have solved the apparent dilemma of having to choose between health and the economy by implementing policies aiming for:
→ A more diversified, resilient economy, less dependent on highly vulnerable sectors consisting of micro-enterprises
→ Public health mechanisms better coordinated amongst themselves and more independent of struggles between political parties,
→ A system providing more care for its vulnerable areas
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