The new normal – life after lockdown l Jaipur Beat

Now June 1 onwards we will step out of our homes as the government has eased out on the lockdown, indeed a happy news but Jaipurites need to get accustomed to the ‘NEW NORMAL’; yes, life is not going to be the same. We no longer can roam around in the streets of Bapu Bazaar and hand-pick those juties and kurtis, nor can we enter the World Trade Park just to take a stroll, or munch on the pani-puri of nand, kachori at Rawat or simply have that pao bhaji outside Birla Mandir; as we did earlier and mind you – we can’t even have the house parties going life before. Everything has come to a full stop!

Remember these 5 new thumb rules:

The essentials: Your bag of essentials need to be modified – carrying a sanitizer, gloves, mask are your first set of essentials you need to have no matter where you go. You can skip the lip-gloss or your colonel, but missing a mask would be like risking your own life. Masks are new normal rather the new abnormal and need to be used as mobile phones – we won’t be able to do without it.
Visiting / Inviting home: For the sake of our own and our loved one’s life, we will have to be extra cautious of who we invite and whose home do we visit. It’s like the more people you avoid the more you gift yourself the number of days to live. For the vaccine is still 12-18 months away and even if it comes, how many will it reach out of the 7.8 billion on this planet is a task in itself to calculate. So when you go to meet someone, you will be “clad” in a mask and so will they be – a compulsory accessory and a critical part of our attire, it will be now.
Meeting and greeting: Handshakes, hugs were the old normal. However, the new normal can’t be there. All you do when you meet your friends, parents, colleagues and acquaintances is a ‘namaskar’ as you start to step out.
Visiting the malls/theatres/restaurants/offices: We all have visited the malls just for a stroll or to binge on our favorite food and movie. However, digital is the new normal. Avoid visiting public places as much as you can and switch to online for all your needs. Having said that, in case you visit, ensure you maintain social distancing from people and not hang over them. Imagine gallivanting in the World Trade Park or Gaurav Towers and hundreds of people walking around with a mask on. It’s not going to be a normal feeling; however, we need to get used to it. In case you are the shop owner or are visiting an office, ensure you sanitize everything before having to use it.
Ordering online: Yes, this seems to be the new normal, however, having stuff delivered at your doorstep is equally risky. So when you order, please do not touch the box/parcel and simply put it aside for at least 48-72 hours. Once done, pick up the packet, open it and sanitize and wash the items thoroughly and do not forget to rinse your hands too.

Though we know when living in a cosmopolitan city like Jaipur where people like to meet and greet and hang around, limiting yourself in every sense will surely be a big lifestyle change for us. Isn’t it Jaipur? We hope we could get you close to the new normal, for we don’t want to scare you but make you aware for we value each one of you and want everyone to be safe and healthy.