Coranavirus outbreak clouds 2020 economic view

FILE PHOTO: Women wearing face masks use their phones in Manila, Philippines, January 31, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

LONDON: The rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic will loom large in the minds of economists in the coming days as the number of global cases soars and the impact on commerce spreads.

While the World Health Organization didn’t recommend any restrictions on travel or trade when it declared the outbreak a global health emergency, more than two-thirds of China’s economy will remain closed as a result of the virus this week, and disruption could spread further.