Nothing will be the same as before

Coronavirus will change our lives in many ways, in Greece and across the globe. First of all, it will certainly make us poorer; at least in the short term. International experts estimate that Greece will experience a recession of between 3 and 4 percent. That estimate is based on the projection that Greece's tourism industry will suffer a 50 percent drop. 

Government measures will help compensate for the reduction in domestic consumption while Greece's inclusion in the European Central Bank's quantitative easing (QE) program will also help soften the impact. However, it will be very hard to balance out the damage to tourism and production unless the pandemic somehow magically ends in May. 

Similar apocalyptic scenarios are cropping up for other countries in Europe and beyond. The crisis will test the strength of the European Union. A key question is whether Germany...