Dubai: The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Sunday that the corona virus epidemic this year could hurt global economic growth, but could see a rapid economic recovery after that.
IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva told the ‘Global Women’s Forum’ in Dubai, “(growth rate) may decline, we estimate the decline to be around 0.1–0.2 percent.”
He said that more than 1,600 people have already died from this disease and its full effect depends on how quickly the disease is controlled. Georgiva said, “I would advise everyone not to reach any conclusion in a hurry.” Much is still hidden in uncertainty. We work with scenarios, not forecasts, ask me after 10 days. “
He said that it would be “too early” to do a full assessment of the impact of the epidemic, but admitted that sectors like tourism and transport had already been affected. He said, “It is too early to say anything about this, because we do not know what the virus is like.” We do not know how soon China will overcome this. We do not know if it will spread to the rest of the world. “