What Comes Next?

For the past few months, the world has been in limbo, on #Lockdown. Every country around the world has implemented some form of social distancing - be it self isolation, or mandatory quarantining. In this time, I have been wondering, what is the world going to look like once we come out of this. What can I expect? What can you expect? What can we, collectively expect?

My answer to this question (in this time of uncertainty), has been a resounding "I don't know," and even though I have read a number of articles on the subject of what tomorrow might look like, I remain uncertain. Perhaps much like yourself. So what I want to explore in this article, is this idea of "What comes next?"

I don't know mehn, but let's start with where I am today. Today, I am in my home in Lagos, Nigeria, where, for the past few months we have been receiving food and supplies by delivery; "By delivery" because Lagos state is on Lockdown; "On Lockdown" because Lagos is one of the epicenters of the corona virus (COVID-19) in the country.  

So from that microcosm, it's obvious that while things are "on hold" here, the logistics, and delivery businesses are thriving. Roads are clear, routes are available, and ostensibly, if you have an essential product, time to deliver is minimal. Similarly, online (and phone order) marketplaces for goods are also thriving, because these are the places fulfilling orders and sending out deliveries. That said, I can also imagine that these industries are being stress tested as unprecedented numbers of customers make orders.

In fact, this (stress testing) applies to online fulfillment businesses in general. Whether you're a Netflix (with no physical deliveries), or a Jumia (delivering goods all over the country), this is a time when demand could/should be testing the limits of your ability to supply.

Now let's zoom out a little bit to Lagos. Lagos, like I mentioned earlier is one of the epicenters of the virus in Nigeria. So the state has been on lockdown for a few months now - and as of this writing, the President of Nigeria has just extended the Lockdown by one more week.

Meanwhile, the general consensus around the state has been that this lockdown has to end soon. The Nigerian masses, who survive on day-to-day earnings, cannot afford to be away from their jobs and businesses for so long. In fact, almost everybody recognizes, that the masses are between a rock and a hard place as far as this lockdown is concerned.

As family savings dwindle (and/or when the lockdown is relaxed), more and more Nigerians will return to fending for themselves outside. This is where, more than ever, all the precautions for fighting Covid-19 become critical. Washing of hands; Avoiding of crowds; and Wearing of face masks and gloves. Hopefully, people will be able to adhere to these measures to protect themselves and others...

Now, when I started this article, we were in the middle of the Lockdown; and about midway through my writing, the President extended this lockdown by one week (as noted above). But as of today, today (May 15, 2020), the Lockdown has been relaxed for over a week - and "what comes next" has begun to reveal itself.

In short, the situation is evolving faster than I can write my thoughts. So for now, I'm going to leave you with the thoughts I have penned so far, and look towards writing another article soon... So watch this space. Let us consider what comes next together. #StaySafe