I don't think that the changes in the economy will apply to every country. These changes will probably and mostly apply to developed countries. Not every country and people are capable of doing digital transactions. Yes, it's now an option but I think most people would still rely on the traditional transaction using paper money.
What changes could be applied because of this pandemic is the safety barriers and precautions when two people are making a transaction to lessen physical contact. What I can see during this pandemic is that people are relying on e-commerce but people still use paper money to pay for what they bought.
After this COVID, I think people will be more conscious and careful about their environment and will be more hygienic. The economy won't collapse because that's what they are preventing, neither central banks. People don't easily adapt to sudden changes like every transaction would be digital. And when we say digital transactions, it's not only decentralized crypto. They more likely to accept digital payment using e-wallets or cards.
That's certainly true, mate. Not every country will be able to adopt digital payments in the time-being. Maybe in the next 20 - 30 years, everyone will be able to participate in the digital economy? What's needed is a global satellite network to broadcast the Internet even in third-world countries. As the pandemic marked our lives forever, people will get used to social distancing living on the digital realm. After a cure or vaccine is found, it'll be hard to go back to normal. There will be a new normal where people tend to value intangible items than tangible ones. With contactless payments, decentralized cryptocurrencies, and even CBDCs, the world's economy will never be the same.
One thing for sure, is that COVID-19 has brought us a valuable lesson. Most (if not all) people will be more responsible by taking the measures necessary to preserve hygiene, etc. Physical interaction will be reduced as much as possible as we transition into a new era where absolutely everything is guided by AI and other technological infrastructure. There are many wild speculations about how the global economy would be after COVID-19. I'm guessing that jobs will be realized remotely, while those requiring physical interaction (construction, hospitals, etc) will be performed by bots. All of this could happen in the future once the economy recovers gradually after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Just my opinion