Repeated lockdowns leaving South-east Asian businesses on edge

Singapore

SOUTH-EAST Asia's "zero-Covid" approach - entailing enforcement of strict lockdowns whenever cases emerge - has cast a heavy pall on business operations across the region, and investors have taken a wait-and-see stance.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the respected research and analysis division of Economist Group, has warned that enforcement of stringent lockdowns measures when infection cases emerge is not a sustainable route, because it could potentially undercut rather than support economic activity.