Economics
Crunch Time for World’s Supply Chains to Deliver Masks and Meat
- On land and sea, vital supplies hit snags as pandemic deepens
- Ship crews are stuck on board and truckers held up at borders
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Covid-19 is about to put the global trading system through its most dramatic stress-test since World War II, with supply lines for essential food and medical goods entering a critical phase as the pandemic peaks in the U.S. and Europe.
Hospital staff in the world’s richest countries are dying for lack of protective gear, and governments are also running short of ventilators and medicine. Under pressure to secure supplies, officials are starting bidding wars and throwing up new trade barriers.