You may also call it :
How to return to “ Abnormal “ when lockdown gets lifted
What seems currently abnormal is going to be the “ New Normal “
Let us start with an example with which, we are somewhat
familiar
For last 2 years, in order to reduce pollution caused by
dense / congested traffic, Delhi government has experimented with the ODD-EVEN
rule for vehicles. It has worked – though partially
In order to reduce spread of Corona Virus, we have a lockdown
to reduce “ Congestion-Crowding “ of people in public places [ - the new name
being “ Social Distancing “ ]
Now, we know that as soon as lock-down gets lifted, millions of people will
rush out of their homes and the streets / shops / gardens / beaches / offices /
factories etc will be flooded with people
Can’t blame them for wanting to return to , what they have
always considered a “ Normal “ behavior
That will mean all kinds of passenger transport vehicles
will get jam-packed like sardines – private cars / city-buses / interstate
buses / metros / local trains / intercity trains / planes / taxies / rickshaws
/ ferries / cruise ships etc
The behavioral pendulum will swing from one [ abnormal ] extreme
to another [ normal ] extreme
Such explosive “ Return to Normal “ could prove disastrous [
consequences with unknown risks ? ]
I urge the authorities to “ swing the pendulum slowly ,
gradually “
Here are a few suggestions ( not mutually exclusive / can be
combinations ) :
=====================================================================================
[ A ] … TRANSPORT
Ø
Odd /
Even for all passenger vehicles ( with usual exemption for Police / Ambulance
etc )
Ø
Each vehicle
( includes planes ) to carry no more than 50 % of capacity.
This is easier said than done ,
considering millions of vehicles / thousands of transport operators
But, if each passenger seat is
numbered , then one method is to sell ODD numbered seats on ODD days and EVEN
numbered seats on EVEN days.
But then there are vehicles where
passengers get in ( board ) first and then buy their tickets ( like BEST buses in
Mumbai ) . How can a passenger waiting at a bus-stop be prevented from getting
onto a bus ?
Can we match the mobile number of
the passenger with the Vehicle License Plate number of the bus and allow
embarkation based on match ? – ODD mobile no gets on ODD numbered bus and EVEN
mobile no gets on EVEN numbered bus ?
With his mobile camera, waiting passenger
takes a photo of the License Plate as the bus approaches bus stop. GREEN dot
appears ( on photo ) if there is a match - RED dot for mis-match
Conductor does not allow mis-matched
passengers to board !
=====================================================================================
[ B ] …. OFFICES
Ø
In rotation , 50 % of the employees to work in
office and balance 50 % from home ( WFH )
Ø
5 day week ( currently prevalent ) to become a 6
day week ( to distribute work-load evenly )
Ø
Staggered work-hours through Flexi-timings [
from 7 am to 10 pm / shift working in offices ? ]
Ø
Change over from Bometric Attendnce System to
Mobile-based Attndance System . Read :
Ø Split up large office campuses ( employing thousands in
close proximity ) into several small offices , spread across a city or a State
or entire country
Ø Greater use of VPN / Video Meetings , to cut down on
face-to-face meetings
================================================================================
[ C ] ….. FACTORIES
Ø Greater sub-contracting ( outsourcing ) to reduce manpower
in one shed
Ø Grater mechanization / automation
[ Both these steps will reduce employment
but that seems inevitable ! ]
Ø Outsourcing of simple components / assemblies could be
considered for employees willing to retire earlier ( than stipulated age of 58
) . They may be given monetary assistance ( loans at ZERO interest rates ), to
set up small work-shops . Raw materials to be supplied by Employer company
Ø Big factories themselves may breakup into smaller,
geographically dispersed locations
================================================================================
[ D ] …. SHOPS – MALLS
Ø Already people are standing ( 2 M apart ) in long queues
outside shops , with some large shops admitting only 5 persons at a time . This
practice would need to be continued in future
Ø Drone-based deliveries need to be accelerated as described
in :
Ø Already some shops are permitted to
remain open 24 hours. More will need to do so
Ø Govt will be forced to relax rules /
regulations governing E-commerce , so that people do not need to leave their
homes for shopping
=========================================================
[
E ] …. RELIGIOUS PLACES
Ø Limits will need to be fixed for number
of devotees that can gather together at a time ( eg : Aarti – Namaaz –
Discourses – Shivirs etc ). For such occasions, there will be “ No Standing “
but only chairs kept 2 M apart
Ø Installations of CCTV to grant “ Video
Darshan “ to devotees from outside the place
Ø Greater use of Online darshan/participation
through singing, using video mobile apps
=========================================================
[
F ] …. SOCIAL CEREMONIES [
Marriage – Funeral – Prayer Meetings etc ]
Ø More and more of these will disappear
gradually ! Only announcements will be made using WhatsApp etc. E-Invites / E-Congratulations
/ E-Condolences , will replace face to face gatherings . Convenience will
triumph over convention !
=========================================================
[
G ] …. EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS (
Schools – Colleges etc )
Ø To reduce the number of students
sitting in one class-room, many more class-rooms will require to be added ,
resulting in massive expansion of capacity / teachers
Ø Institutions will be required to work
in 4 shifts of 6 hours each
Ø There will be a huge shift towards
Online Education, by Institutions themselves
Ø A few years down the line, not only
Video-based impartation of teaching will happen but VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS ( using
holographic projections ) can take place in each home
Ø Many start-ups will launch Mobile Apps
for teaching subjects
Ø To know how AR / VR headsets will
change the rules of Online Training, read :
Extract :
Convert every
existing establishment ( factory / office / shop / open yard ) into
a
Training Centre
Remove all restrictions as outlined
in my above-mentioned suggestions
Enable the unemployed youth ( 12
million / year ) to acquire online training from their
homes
, using government-gifted VR headsets [ much cheaper than granting
Unemployment Allowance of Rs 3000 pm (
Rajasthan ) / Rs 1000 ( Andhra ) / many
other States )
Subsidize Start Ups ( operating in
the field of online Education ) to develop VR based
training modules
==========================================================
[
H ] … ENTERTAINMENT ( Cinema Halls / Sports Stadium / Music Halls etc
)
Ø Here as well , SOCIAL DISTANCING rule should
continue to apply, with drastic reduction in number of viewers admitted for a
given show / event
Ø Between any two viewers, 4 seats would
need to be kept vacant ( 20 % occupancy )
Ø Govt should grant permits to event
organizers to steam such events LIVE on TV or Internet , by collecting subscriptions
( event-wise or month-wise )
=========================================================
[
J ] .. PUBLIC PLACE POLICY ( 3P )
Ø For Public Places ( wherever feasible )
, Govt must insist that the place owners / tenants / occupiers / Municipalities
etc . shall prominently display following board outside the premises :
# This public place has a “ Occupancy Capacity “
of ( say ) 200 persons , seated on
Chairs
# As per current Govt Orders , no more than (
say ) 50 persons shall occupy this
Place
# No person , who is not allotted a specific
SEAT NUMBER in advance , will be
allowed to enter this place
# As and when the Govt issues fresh / revised
orders, same shall be displayed here
, stating the date applicable
=======================================================
[
K ] ….CAUTION :
Ø The 6 ft ( 2 Meter ) SOCIAL DISTANCING
norm itself may get revised by WHO , based on following research report :
Extract :
# In fact, the science that the six-foot
rule is based on, came out nearly 90 years ago.
# The Boston Globe reports, is that people
can expel viruses through regular
exhalations. They don’t need to
have sneezed to be spreading the pandemic.
# The second is that the virus can be spread through gas clouds
people expel when they
cough or sneeze, not just the visible droplets
that the six-foot rule seeks to avoid.
And
those gas clouds can send a virus as
far as 27 feet under optimal conditions.
---------------------------
==========================================================
What
I have mentioned above are only my SUGGESTIONS
These
are NOT fool-proof , tried and tested , SOLUTIONS , on how to unwind gradually after lifting of lockdown
But,
( as happened in the case of MIGRANT WORKERS exodus from Delhi ), it is not possible to , indefinitely keep waiting
/ keep analyzing / keep guessing , as to “ what will happen if I do this or don’t
do this ? “
Dear Shri Narendrabhai / Dr Harsh
Vardhanji ,
We still have 12 days ( until 14th April ) to
frame the rules ( suggested above )
If a
few things don’t work out well , we can always make a “ Course Correction “
From
USA / EU , we have proof of what “ Indecisions “ can cost in terms of lost lives
With
regards,
Hemen
Parekh
========================================================
02
April 2020
hcp@RecruitGuru.com
