I see a lot of positives - esp on remote working, remote schooling, telemedicine - the more this crisis stays - the more people stay home - the more they realize they don't really to be in any office - or anywhere - to get stuff done. Some careers will disappear forever if this crisis stays longer. New careers will emerge. New business will thrive.
I hope we wake up from crisis - and continue working or schooling mostly from our homes - and really start going to the work or school or hospital or shopping - when our presences is essential.
This will not only boost work productivity - but quality of life will improve - with less traffic jams, commute stress, congestion in hospital, in supermarkets and in restraurants - when you can stay home and get nearly everything done. People should only get out of their homes - to go for a run or to walk a dog or go to essential meetings or appointment their physical presence is absolutely necessary.
At minimum - I expect at least most companies to continue with flexitime - and if productivity doesn't suffer in this period - but actually improve - many will adopt work from anywhere.
2007/2008 gave us MPESA - and I know it's time for gov to ban cash - cash basically is unnecessary except to aid criminals, spread diseases, corruption and etc. I wish gov would just declare kenya is now cashless....many careers that carry and print cash...will disappear with it. Personally the last time I handled cash is like 3 weeks ago. Maybe we can keep small denominations...coins...have 5-100 shs coins - and remove the notes. This will make 200K mpesa and banking jobs disappear....but they will find something else to do...because..you won't need any banking or mpesa agent..everyone will be sending to each other MPESA or paying through MPESA. Gov can tax - small % of it - and tax collections will hit the roof.Tax cheats will have no where to hid - KRA will have full visibility. Black or informal economy will disappear.
It's in time like this that humanity moves forward...kenya internet infrastructure for example is not good enough....and we need to invest more on fiber...for the future. Many are savings lot of time and money working from home - in kenya - on average of 4hrs spend with family - instead of traffic - and lots of money saved from less trips - no parking fee - no pollution - no spreading diseases.
For a instant coffee generation, this corona disruption will really change the course of our lives in the lines of WWII. Economically, some will never recover. Calls for self sufficiency may work for mwafrika with revived manufacturing and agriculture. Govts with scarce external funding will be shaken to the core with collapsed businesses. Saving grace will be our majority (60 % -80) rural based economy/livelihood. This is a virus that is exposing the vulnerability of modernization and urbanization.
Health facilities will get a boost. Health practitioners may get the respect they deserve though in hotspots they are going to be decimated given failure of early warning systems and unnecessary exposure. Mentally, the panic and anxieties over unknowns will wear us out into collapsed asylums.
Socially, we may end up a more respectful and considerate bunch. Old timers living alone in developed world are being collected in numbers to be cremated or buried as they say 'like dogs'.
Politically, wow - some gradual shifts will be initiated - the peace without political nonsensical bickering is refreshing - their confinement in Africa will bear fruits - those terminally ill will be buried. Political scum will be exposed for who they are- shitty parasites!
Personally, I am internalizing that we are on basic survival mode for those not in the front-line and this will be for quite some time.