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Countries around the world are moving ahead with plans to partially emerge from lockdowns imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus – concerned about the effect the lockdowns are having on their economies. Italy and Spain are easing the lockdowns after a decline in the death toll, while South Africa has announced a partial resumption of daily life beginning on the first of May. Some are calling for more caution, however. A prominent UK epidemiologist has said that lifting the lockdown in that country could mean 100,000 deaths by the end of the year. John Peet of the Economist assesses the argument between economics and public health. Elsewhere in the show, we’re looking at other ways communities and firms are adapting to the lockdowns. One luxury brand is handling the loss of physical retail sales by expanding online, and some tech firms in Taiwan and Denmark are developing vertical farming technologies to mitigate food supply chain disruption. We’ll also hear how Indian students are adapting to online education, and the independent economist Michael Hughes looks to the effect on prices that today’s fiscal response to the crisis might have.

(Picture: A South African Defence Force medic checks the temperature of a motorist with a thermometer in Cape Town, South Africa. Picture credit: Getty Images.)