‘The Money Doctor’ slams COVID lockdowns as the biggest policy mistake in modern times

Steve Hanke, professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University, speaks during an interview at the Forbes Global CEO Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday, Sept. 28, 2009. (Credit: Goh Seng Chong—Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Stringent COVID-19 lockdown measures were a historic failure by lawmakers, according to “the money doctor” Steve Hanke, with the economist insisting the lives that were saved were heavily outweighed by the harsh fallout shutdown measures created.  

After researching lockdowns that were imposed in the spring of 2020—around the time the WHO declared the new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic—Steve Hanke, a professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University, labeled the pandemic-induced shutdowns “the biggest policy mistake in modern times.”