Not even the most gifted soothsayer could have imagined four weeks ago that the world would be at this point right now: 50% of the major cities in the world on lockdown, all-important sporting, social and religious events suspended, the gates of the most important temples and religious sites locked and some of the most visible world leaders and personalities battling for their lives.
These are no ordinary times. No prophet, seer or astrologist saw any of these coming or if perhaps they did, considered it too incredulous to be shared with members of the public. At the beginning of February, American unemployment levels reached record lows and according to several media outlets, there were actually more jobs in place than there were job seekers. People who wanted jobs had them and few ever remembered there was something called unemployment benefit. This week, the reality was entirely different. More than 3 million people according to the New York Times filed for unemployment claims. The situation is not better in the UK or any part of Europe where the government is pumping in stimulus packages to enable employers pay part of their staff salaries. Across the world over the last one month, many have resorted to living on charity, depending largely on government handouts, support from groups and other wealthy individuals to feed and meet their day to day needs. What is now uncertain is knowing for how long this would continue.
For how long shall we continue to live without our favourite sports- football, basketball, field and track events, tennis and rugby, crickets and all the other sports events that brought an extra thrill to life? How long shall stock markets be on technical suspensions? How much more money can Central Banks prints? What happens if the present outlay of stimulus package is exhausted? How much more money can government pump into the system? If there are no viable cure (or vaccine) for coronavirus say in the next six months, what can the world do? Remain indoors?
These and many more are the questions analysts, policymakers and politicians will continue to grapple with in the days ahead. There will however be no questions about the impact of the deadly virus to the world for indeed, there is a global consensus that this COVID-19 has had a very devastating impact on our world. The world we use to know is changed and we have seen the shortfalls and failures of the present system. The post coronavirus world would be different on three scores and we look at them carefully in preparation for what comes next:
The Value System: Movie stars, superstars in sports, politicians and celebrities of various shapes and sizes earn several millions each week. They are paid promptly and no stories told. Patrons and sponsors borrow to foot their bills and keep them happy. They are very important personalities that no one dares to offend. Their every word carries a lot of weight and in some places, they influence policy decisions, elections into offices and how the world operates. They are the “woke” elites who go against every convention in the world without consequences.
Sadly, in the last one month, not much has been heard from them. They are either battling to stay alive after being infected with the coronavirus or in complete hibernation, afraid to venture onto the public square again for fear of being infected. Things will need to clear up before we ever see them again. Right now they are not important, no one needs their views and their donations and attempts at charity can only do little. They are not the soldiers the world needs to fight what has come upon it.
While the world fetes celebrities and the stars, very few acknowledges the efforts of the doctors, the healthcare workers, medical researchers and those who study about bacteria, virus and other microorganisms. Unless you purchase a scientific journal where the most brilliant scientists publish papers, the likelihood of your remembering the name of any important researcher is almost zero. However, they are the ones the world is now depending on to save it from collapse. They are the ones we are hoping would provide a cure, a vaccine or whatever can make this virus go away.
If and when we get out of this, we would look at things differently. Now do not get it wrong. The movie stars, the soccer players, the comedians, the reality TV stars are all important, no doubt. However, there must be a limit to tasteless exaggeration when the dust clears. Everyone is important and no profession should be looked down on. Not the cleaners, not the firefighters, teachers, researchers and definitely, not the virologists. The world needs every “labourer” to keep it in balance. No worker is deserving of the indignity of an unsatisfactory pay. That would be much clear when we come out of this.
Personal and Social Hygiene: This new reality will be especially true for those of us from Nigeria. You do not need to shake hands with your colleagues or friends every five minutes. It has been proven to be unnecessary. How about washing of hands, covering our noses when we sneeze and refusing to pick our noses at every given point? Well, coronavirus has now taught us that those habits are unhygienic and must be jettisoned without any further debates. Everyone must be mindful of the implications of the little things we earlier thought do not matter. It is important to wash hands regularly, after coming in contact with public surfaces, using the men’s room or being exposed in the public. As soon as the coronavirus crisis is over, no one would need to be reminded.
Response to emergencies: There is a belief in several quarters that the global response to the coronavirus scare which broke out in the Wuhan region of China in December last year was sloppy. Several American politicians dismissed it as a hoax. Some vowed it would be easily dealt with in America. In Italy, a popular politician encouraged the people not to give in to rumours and go about their lawful business like nothing was happening. In Africa, several leaders believed that they were caught off from the world and what happens in China would have no way of affecting them.
Well, all of those have now been exposed as catastrophic errors in calculation. Things would have been a lot different if only proactive measures were taken ab initio to confront the virus by world leaders. After this crisis, no one, at least not those who have been vested with the authority to act, will do nothing when something unpleasant is reported in one part of the world. For one, the present virus has taught us how interconnected the world is and demonstrated quite clearly that a threat in any part of the world is a threat in every part of the world. The lesson, one hopes, is not lost on us going forward.
