To restore the economy, we must fix America’s technology gaps

© Photo illustration/Nicole Vas. Article by Bhaskar Chakravorti, Opinion Contributor. The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill.

As the world raced to contain COVID-19, it effectively launched a necessary but costly experiment: Move all possible economic activity online to flatten the pandemic’s curve and save lives. But digitally recreating the economy-as-usual has its limits and the “Great Lockdown” comes with devastating economic costs.

States are now rushing to reopen to mitigate the damage, but that could come with enormous consequences for public health. […]

Finally, remember that the U.S. economy is still tied to others. Many services essential for American employees, from payroll to health benefits, are handled by workers in other countries. A third of India’s IT workers are forced to go into their offices despite India’s country-wide lockdown to keep these benefits running. As the federal government eases domestic lockdown, U.S. policymakers can enact new rules to also ease requirements built into offshoring contracts, which require back office workers to physically go into dedicated offshore development centers. But they must be creative in preserving confidentiality and addressing other concerns. […]

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