The New Normal?
These are challenging times we live in. From the initial days of being under a temporary COVID-shaped shadow. Everything seemed unclear when it all started to now where social distancing, frantic searches for hand sanitiser and face masks have become the new normal. As Zoom and Google Hangouts become a way of life and working from home seems to be blessed for eternity, it’s safe to say that some things that we’ve adopted as a way of life might even stay long after COVID is gone.
The most accurate cases in point can be observed in two major spheres of daily life – personal/casual social interactions and workplace social interactions.
Food and beverages are the holy grail of most social interactions. When it comes to catching up with a friend for a bite to eat or just a simple cup of Chai, it’s no longer as simple as picking a place. Or going to an old familiar spot to get your favourites while you engage in conversation. Safety and hygiene will be ringing in your mind throughout and it’s only natural to look for take-away of home delivery, if you’re not comfortable stepping out for social interactions. But if you are someone who prefers sitting down, you’ll probably find yourself identifying and making a mental list of potentially low-risk places which provide the safety and hygiene assurances you’d like to see.
At workplaces, the biggest knock-on effect of COVID is getting a cup of Chai – whether you are by yourself or with colleagues. Temporarily gone are the days when you could walk to your tapriwala worry-free and chit-chat leisurely with a paper cup of cutting Chai or by-two filter coffee in hand. Break time not only needs a safety assurance but also a complete re-visit of the Chai/Coffee ritual at the workplace. You and your colleagues may increasingly find yourselves embracing what options your workplace is providing you with indoors.
As the government relaxes lockdown rules and restrictions, if you are stepping out, we would like to give you a heads-up and ask that you exercise caution and restraint while stepping out. We advice that you wear protective masks in the right manner all-the-time while you’re in public spaces and to be mindful of trying to avoid any contact with public surfaces as best as you can. Gloves are a great accessory to have, but also need to be maintained accordingly while hand and personal hygiene has never been more important.
While we are now free to exercise basic freedom of movement, the onus is also upon us to be socially responsible in keeping ourselves and our closed ones safe. We wish you a safe passage through these times and we look forward to serving you in whatever way we can! Be safe out there!
Yours safely,
Chai Point