Lockdowns have become an essential tool for halting the spread of COVID-19.

But at what cost?

You're listening to Money Talks from the Economist, our weekly podcast on the markets,

the economy and the world of business.

I'm Ratchna Sharnbogue, finance editor at The Economist, and also on today's show.

Why the return to the office is proving much more complicated than last year's mass exodus.

When offices first shut down last year, the change was immediate.

Now that habits are formed, many workers are reluctant to come back.

And, as he prepares to move to a new beat, our China economic editor reflects on a decade of reporting

on the country's remarkable growth.

You've got red-blooded competition in the private sector,

and you've got the restless quest of millions upon millions of ordinary people

who are just trying to improve their lot in life.

First, how much is a human life worth?

In May 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo addressed demands to lift the month-long lockdown of New York State.

A human life is priceless, period.

Politicians around the world were engaged in a grim calculus.

The faster we reopen, the lower the economic cost.

But the higher the human cost.

Before the crisis, lockdowns had seemed implausible.

But once China and Italy had shown away, other governments followed suit.

Now, more than a year on, as waves of infections persist,

...