The COVID-19 pandemic has led to sweeping changes in all facets of human life in India. While we are talking here about Hyderabad City in South India, the situation is the same across all major cities.
Like all the other major cities across the country, Hyderabad is also trying in every possible way to deal with this emergency so that people remain safe and economic production levels and normalcy do not falter significantly. The infrastructure of Hyderabad in various ways has been changed to meet up to the new challenges that have been caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Let’s look at some ways in which the people of Hyderabad can expect to find permanent changes in the way the city performs some of its major functions.
A shift towards online shopping
While online shopping was becoming trendier in Hyderabad for quite some time now, we can expect to see a major shift in this direction in the coming months and years. Already several businesses that were not previously into developing an online store of their own are now actively looking to make their mark in this sphere. This can further help consumers to have a greater number of options when it comes to shopping safely and healthily.
Changes in public transportation
The public transportation services in Hyderabad are also going through major changes and maintaining social distancing has now been made mandatory at every step of the way. The state transportation system is focusing on arranging for more buses and transportation means since only a limited number of people can be at a vehicle at any given point of time. The metro service has been closed for public due to lockdown and has stayed closed for several months now.
As of now those who have their private transportation have greater mobility. This has been a definite boost to private ownership and use of vehicles. It is very difficult to commute right now without any public transport – metro service and bus service both being closed
Boost for auto gear vehicles
In many areas the traffic situation has reduced only slightly, maybe with public transport down – there are more private vehicles on the road. The use of drivers and driver service is cause for concern, as vehicle owners are worried about the risk of infection in a closed cabin like a car. Driving on the own is always better, so more cars may be sold with automatic transmissions. Same with 2-wheelers, in the future, with heavy traffic it is expected that more people will prefer auto gear 2-wheelers as they are more comfortable to ride in traffic.
Use of robots in businesses
Many business firms are now contemplating the use of robotics and automation to manage their day to day functions so that they can bring down the active involvement of humans. The pandemic has made it mandatory for people to work from their homes. However, many tasks must be performed in the workplace only and cannot be handled remotely from the homes. To manage such activities, many government sectors and private companies are now trying out robots that ensure the smooth handling of operations without any errors. The robots can also help to ensure that humans are safe from the COVID infection.
Changes in the airport check-in process
The Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is now implementing enhanced safety measures that aim to minimize all chances of the viral pandemic from spreading further. The airport has already put into place a contactless terminal entry so that no contact occurs at any point in time between the passengers and the CISF personnel. There is also going to be a CUSS kiosk that can be used for printing the boarding pass. The passengers are now encouraged to perform web check-in before arriving at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. At various points inside the airport, there are automatic dispensers for hand sanitizers. There are also markers for social distancing that can help people to maintain a safe distance from each other. All the passengers will have to undergo thermal screening and they need to provide self-declaration forms regarding their health status and travel history.