"Hi, how have you been?"
The above quote was a regular greeting. As we walked through our lives we heard it umpteen times from various people. We know you are craving to hear your near and dear ones greet you in person again.
Well, the temporary lock-down has become the new normal. I guess the initial few days was fun with "Netflix and chill" and with your family. But, after a week or so you were craving to go to work and travel places.
But, it is important to understand that the self-quarantine is in our favour. We must make the most of this time by exercising and eating right to improve our immunity. Lockdown cannot be a permanent solution. Our economies might not be able to sustain that way. Hence, it is essential to improve our immunity before the lockdown period is over and we walk outdoors.
The end of the lockdown period absolutely does not imply the eradication of the coronavirus. The virus will be there around us and we would have to learn to co-habit with it. Hence, until we get vaccinated we must take the following precautions to be safe and sound.
- Do not touch your face:
The main strategy in any war or fight is to understand the opponent. In this mission to contain the spread of the virus, it is necessary to understand the function of the virus. The virus would never affect us until it enters our body. The virus on our body is absolutely harmless. Hence, we need to be extra careful not to touch our eyes, nose and mouth.
So, when you check into your couple-friendly hotel in Paharganj, Delhi during your next trip, do remember to avoid touching your face until you have thoroughly cleaned yourself.
2. Be Vigilant
Your phone must be loaded with your favourite travel songs. It must be a routine to relax during your vacation with the earphones around. But, sadly those days are gone. You need to be very vigilant now. You need to be aware of the health conditions of the people around you.
You cannot relax on the beach in Goa anymore. Be vigilant on the beach as well and stay safe. So, until you reach your room in a couple-friendly hotel in Anjuna you need to be extremely vigilant.
3. Wash Your Hands
Yes, you read that right. Wash your hands as frequently as possible. The coronavirus is a zoonotic virus. It has a stronger protein layer as a cell wall. The wall will not break with just water. Hence, it is important to wash your hands with soap. It takes exactly 20 seconds for the cell wall to break. So, you must lather your hands for 20 seconds and rinse it with water.
During your next trip to the Pink City, remember to wash your hands after entering an hourly hotel in Malviyenagar, Jaipur.
4. Carry Hand Sanitiser
Washing your hands with soap is the best disinfectant for your palms. But, it might not be possible to wash your hands everywhere. Hence, it is important to keep a hand sanitiser handy. Make sure the hand sanitiser has at least 60% alcohol. You must use it at regular intervals and before eating.
During your next Bangalore trip remember to use the hand sanitiser when you enter the restaurant area of your couple-friendly hotel in Koramangala, Bangalore.
5. Carry Disinfectant Wipes
It is not humanely possible for you to clean and disinfectant every object you might come across while travelling. But, you can always clean the immediate surface area you might touch with disinfectant wipes. So, grab your pack of disinfectant wipes and keep it handy.
Besides public seats and rails, you can use the wipes to disinfect door handles as well. The next time you visit Pune and enter a couple-friendly hotel in Hinjewadi, do remember to disinfectant the door handles.
6. Carry your own bottle of Water and Food Packets
Given the current situation, it might be a wise decision to carry your own belongings as far as possible. Buying a bottle of water from a regular road-side stall might be a bit too risky. Hence, try to carry your own bottle of water and food packets.
During your Kolkata trip, remember to fill up your water bottles when you leave the couple-friendly hotel in Esplanade for sight-seeing.
7. Wear Gloves
You must have seen people wear all kinds of gloves when they travel these days. From surgical gloves to gloves available in henna dye packets, any type is fine as long as it protects your palms. But, remember to remove your gloves and sanitise your hands before eating.
Remember to wear your gloves when you leave your couple-friendly hotel in Bandra to roam around the lanes and by-lanes of the City of Dreams, Mumbai.
8. Maintain Social Distancing
Maintaining the recommended six-feet distance is essential. You need to be vigilant and maintain six feet distance from any sick or ailing person. Avoid standing in a queue and crowded places.
You can relax in a couple-friendly hotel in Charminar during the peak hours to maintain social distancing and wander about Hyderabad over the rest of the day.
9. Safe Greetings
Well, the world would definitely take quite some time to regain the habit of greeting with warm hugs and hand-shakes. For the time being, the polite namaskar and friendly waves should suffice as warm greetings.
You must be missing your friends in Ahmedabad. So, when you go over to visit them after the lockdown, get ready in a couple-friendly hotel near Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway and greet them with a courteous namaskar.
10. Wear Masks
It is essential to wear a mask to contain the spread of the virus. The presence of the mask restricts us from touching our face. But, we must keep the size of the mask in mind while buying. It is important to buy a mask that fits. A small mask might be uncomfortable or cut through our skin. A larger mask will not serve the purpose because we would touch our face more frequently to keep the mask in place.
Remember to pack your mask in your travel bag when you set off for your next trip. Remember to wear your mask when you leave your couple-friendly hotel in Saidapet to visit the various temples in Chennai.
11. Use Digital Money
Well, cash transaction accentuates virus transmission. Please try to use more virtual or digital money to avoid physical transactions of cash.
12. Prefer E-tickets
It would be wiser to travel with a e-ticket than a physical one. The physical ticket might help in the transmission of virus. Hence, an e-ticket is always a safer choice.
13. Maintain Proper Hygiene
At the end of it all, it is essential to maintain basic personal hygiene. If you take care of cleanliness at every step then half the battle is already fought.
14. Disinfect Belongings
Last but not the least, remember to disinfect all your belongings after checking into a couple-friendly hotel after travelling all day.
I hope the list would help you to plan your trips better after the lock down, when the travel restrictions are removed. If you are having a tough time handling your child during the current lock down situation, then you might like to read about a few ways to keep them engaged.