LONDON, July 9 (Xinhua) -- As the International Monetary Fund predicted a 10.2-percent contraction of Britain's economy in 2020, gloomier than its previously projected contraction of 6.5 percent, economic watchers said Britain's economy hit harder by COVID-19 than previously thought could take longer than expected to recover.
"Even with the relaxation of some COVID-related restrictions on economic activity, a degree of precautionary behavior by households and businesses is likely to persist. The economy, and especially the labor market, will therefore take some time to recover towards its previous path," the Bank of England said.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, was concerned about the situation now, because two weeks after most shops reopened in England, footfall is still only half what it was a year ago.
"By European standards, Britain's recovery remains slow," she said.
Official statistics showed that Britain's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 2.2 percent in the first quarter, the worst contraction in 41 years, and the economy shrank by a record 20.4 percent in April. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development forecast a slump of 11.5 percent of GDP in Britain in 2020 in a single wave scenario.
Lockdown restrictions have led to sharp falls in economic output. Aviation, manufacturing, hospitality, retail and construction have been hit hardest. Demand for air travel in April and May collapsed and most planes were grounded. Non-essential shops could only rely on online sales during the lockdown period.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the country on lockdown on March 23, banning non-essential travels and closing schools and shops to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The government has gradually lifted the lockdown since mid-May, allowing non-essential retailers to reopen since June and pubs, bars and restaurants to resume business since Saturday.
Faced with a battered economy, the government has introduced unprecedented measures to support businesses and individuals.
By the end of June, more than 9.3 million jobs have been protected through the coronavirus job retention scheme at the expense of 25.5 billion pounds (about 32 billion U.S. dollars). Small firms in retail, leisure and hospitality industry are exempt from business rate for 12 months. The Bank of England made emergency interest rate cuts from 0.75 percent to 0.1 percent and increased its bond-buying program by 300 billion pounds (about 378 billion dollars).
Last week, Johnson set out a 5-billion-pound (about 6.2-billion-dollar) plan to fuel economic recovery by upgrading Britain's infrastructure. On Wednesday, the government announced a policy package that includes a six-month cut in value-added tax for hospitality and tourism sectors.
Although more timely indicators suggest that Britain's economy started to recover from the trough in April, many economists warned that the second quarter may be worse than the first quarter's drop, as evidenced by April's massive fall.
The economy is likely to contract around 17 percent quarter-on-quarter in the second quarter, but can expand close to 10 percent in the third quarter, said Howard Archer, chief economic adviser at EY ITEM Club.
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