Koichi Hamada: Policymakers must act quickly in fiscal fight against coronavirus

Governments should rely on fiscal rather than monetary measures when responding to natural disasters or epidemics such as the new COVID-19, writes Koichi Hamada

As the new COVID-19 coronavirus continues to spread rapidly outside China, medical professionals and policymakers around the world are fighting to contain the outbreak. But what role can or should governments play in this situation — or, for that matter, when natural disasters strike?