Economic activities in Pakistan are gradually coming to a halt, irrespective of whether a lockdown is being officially declared or not. The purpose of the such lockdowns is to slow the spread of infections, also called “flattening the curve”. The decrease in the rate of infections can help provide better medical care to those who are already infected. More importantly, it can free up medical resources, such as ICU beds and ventilators for the critically ill patients. Flattening the curve has the flip side though, and that is affecting the economy. For Pakistan, a lockdown will further hurt an already fragile and limping economy. But there is a tradeoff between saving lives and avoiding an economic slowdown, i.e., recession. Figure below shows the relationship between the two.