“The sky is falling, but we might have some ways to put the pieces back together,” said Alicia Sasser Modestino, who is an associate professor of public policy and urban affairs as well as economics at Northeastern.
The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought havoc on the United States economy, where stay-at-home measures have brought certain industries—such as restaurants, hotels, and salons—almost to a complete standstill. Economists predict that the economic downturn will be sharp, but short—a prediction that rests upon the choices that government officials make during this crucial period, says economist Alicia Sasser Modestino.