The Covid-19 media survival guide 20 Dec 2020 The M&G offices emptied out during the Covid-19 pandemic, and now most of the staff work from home. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G) At the beginning of 2020, Mail & Guardian chief executive Hoosain Karjieker was feeling upbeat about the year ahead. After a difficult 2019, marred by retrenchments, plans to rebuild were already in the pipeline. Then Covid-19 hit. “When we realised that this was real, we started considering what impact it would have on the business. But it never prepared us for the shock that we had when it happened,” Karjieker says from his office overlooking the now empty desks once filled by journalists.