It has been almost two months since the Government of Rwanda rolled out a raft of tough measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. The country lived under lockdown for six weeks during which all non-essential activities were brought to a halt. Globally, the pandemic has killed hundreds of thousands of people, sent millions into unemployment and devastated economies. Ironically, the lockdown has instilled important disciplines that can be encouraged even after the pandemic. The New Times gathered ideas from economic analysts and members of the civil society on what best did we get from the lockdown. Cashless economy According to his observation, Teddy Kaberuka, an economist, the fact that people could not move and exchange cash and how different institutions put together to boost cashless lifestyles, has shown that cashless economy is possible. “Cashless economy is ideal. It was reluctant but the pandemic proved that it is easier and possible that we thought,” he explains. Besides the fact that people did not have much physical contact and therefore found it convenient to use cashless means, the use of hard currency has been discouraged by scientists as one of the major conduits through which the virus can be contracted. Cashless payments that are now picking more than ever include use of mobile money, point of sale facilities and bank transfers. Culture of saving During the lockdown, only essential services were operating and numerous luxurious activities were on a standstill. This is coupled with the fact that during the lockdown, those who earned directly from their daily input, especially people in the informal sector, found themselves without an income and so had to improvise with the little they had saved up. Joseph Nkurunziza, Chairman of Civil Society Platform in Rwanda, thinks that such a condition reduced spendthrift. “If an employee has been getting a salary for three years and all of a sudden the pandemic hits and they could not afford basics because they did not save, I hope they learnt how important saving is,” he said. He continued to explain that the latter does not apply on only individuals but companies and businesses. “We should always be ready to confront abrupt troubles,” he said. Self-reliance Not only for individuals, has the pandemic proven that self-reliance should be prioritized. From people who relied on unsustainable sources of income to companies and countries that relied on donor funds and sponsors, pandemic left self-reliance as a bold lesson. Canisius Binihira, another economic analyst explains how self-reliance should be prioritized especially in basic resources such as agriculture and health, “Technology and industries have been made top priorities in different countries. This pandemic has shown us that we need to invest more in people’s survival; agriculture, health and education more,” he explained. Hygienic practices When COVID-19 broke out at the beginning of the year, most especially in Rwanda when the first case was confirmed in mid-March, hand washing tools and sanitizers were made as accessible as possible. All public places were obliged to provide either a sink or hand sanitizer; others have both. Practices such as handshaking and hugging were also discouraged. Joseph Nkurunziza imagines that there other person-to-person infections that were discouraged by such behaviors. “Many diseases are airborne or transferred through handshaking and touching each other. If people continue to wash hands, avoid handshakes and wear facemasks where necessary, many of the diseases would perish,” he said. Remote working can be an option Canisius Bihira emphasizes that productivity does not require big expensive offices. If employees are facilitated with remote working tools, productivity can be equally good or better. “Instead of renting expensive offices and meeting places, working from home can be made an option. We can invest in facilitative resources instead such as internet,” he suggested. Many public and private institutions have continued to encourage employees to work from home as much as possible as part of the measures to practice physical distancing.
