COVID-19

[claidheamhmor]

Our president has taken very prudent measures to help contain COVID-19; while we have 116 announced cases so far, South Africa, like many African countries, could be very vulnerable. Most/all sports events and gatherings have been shut down - no more Parkrun, MyRun, or races - and we're all taking lots of precautions. Some gyms have closed. No pubs or restaurants open after 6PM. Our company is testing full business continuity; over the last couple of days, we've had thousands of staff working from home. I've been at home all week, and it's weird. Interest rates have been slashed 1 percentage point, and price freezes are in place on a number of basic items. Still, the economic impact will be massive; salaried staff of bigger companies, like myself, may be OK, but it's going to be a bloodbath for smaller businesses and self-employed people who can't work from home. 

It's all feeling very strange, like we're waiting for axe to fall.