Mumbai: Spitting on streets; coughing and sneezing without covering one's mouth; littering on the public spaces, etc have been a norm for many Indians. But with the Coronavirus outbreak, such activities are looked down upon and even risk police action. Together they have created a societal pressure to maintain more hygiene than in the past.
“It took an outbreak to happen for people to understand the need to maintain hygiene in public places,” said Huma, as her building gets disinfected by a group of sanitation workers. She hopes that this behaviour continues even after the lockdown is lifted.
Some residential and commercial buildings in urban areas are asking their watchmen to pour a drop of sanitiser into the palm of anyone desirous of coming inside the building. This is also indicative of the hygiene-consciousness that has seeped into people and even their building gatekeepers.
Due to this pandemic, today, public transport like buses are under pressure to keep their vehicles sanitised. Today, these buses are washed clean with disinfectant. The BEST employee said, “Every evening, we wash the buses when they get stationed at the depot. But (with Covid 19) now the frequency of the washes has increased.”
The lockdown has eased pressure on other public places from following such systems. But a multinational company which manufactures elevators, Schindler, feels that there is a need to use air disinfectants in an elevator where one has closed spaces. So they recommend spraying disinfectants inside the closed area and even shut down the elevator from time to time, among other things, to extend cleanliness in such places too. Looking at the situation, the company spokesperson added there is a need to explore intelligent transit management elevator systems that can be programmed to analyse, predict or meet individual passenger needs. “The company also offers myPORT technology that enables remote operation of its elevator systems via the myPORT app which end-users can install on their mobile phones.” That takes away the need to touch the elevator button as well. Commenting further, the spokesperson of the company said that subway stations, airports, and hospitals are just a few examples of public infrastructure where antimicrobial handrails can find practical application.
The few countries where aircraft are still flying have rules in place mandating compulsory disinfection of each aircraft after each trip is over, in addition to strengthening hygiene standards when the flight is in the sky.
It is possible that trains and metros too will adopt a stricter standard of hygiene once they begin operating in Mumbai.
There is no doubt that everyone is trying to do its bit. But at this time of the infectious outbreak, every small act counts. Moreover, expect the standards to be raised continually; at least till fears of infection remain alive.
