5 Services you can count on even during the lockdown

By Team Newsable | First Published Apr 6, 2020, 7:21 PM IST

People have also been struggling with options to keep themselves engaged during these times because malls, theatres and other public places are closed. To help calm the already distraught nerves and comfort your minds, we have compiled a list of 5 essentials that will help you and your family survive this lockdown.

The Coronavirus pandemic has brought the entire world to a stop. In India, the entire country is in a lockdown till 14th April which means people are not allowed to venture out of their homes. While a lot of us have been able to adapt to the work from home situation, some are yet to accept it. One concern common among everyone, however, is the availability of daily essentials like fruits, vegetables, groceries etc.

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Daily groceries

This is the first concern everyone has, but the good news is that there are online services that are working hard every day to make daily essentials available to people. Services such as Suprdaily, Bigbasket and even Amazon Fresh and Dunzo are allowing people to order essential groceries online. The slots are limited, but it is possible to get a regular supply of milk, bread, eggs, fruits and vegetables. One should also look at stocking up on staples like wheat flour, rice, pulses etc. Include items such as Maggi, pasta, ramen also in your list.

You can avail these services in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, NCR, etc. but do visit their respective websites to check their complete operational circles.

Online recharges

Ever since the lockdown has been imposed, the number of voice and video calls being made every day has certainly increased. There has also been a surge in the amount of time people are spending on watching TV. OTT platforms have reported a ‘never seen before’ increase in their subscriptions. The good news is that all such payments and recharges have been made possible online through the Airtel Thanks app. Making payments online ensures that you do not come in contact with anyone thus, adhering to social distancing.

Airtel Thanks app makes payments such as mobile recharge, post-paid mobile bill payment, internet bill payment, DTH payment and subscription to other services very easy and hassle-free. Utility bills can also be paid online and you can even transfer money to friends and family when required.

If you feel overwhelmed about online transactions or have never done it before, you can refer to this video.

Fitness and workouts

One major drawback of this lockdown is that people have no way of using up their energy or to keep them involved in any productive activity except for their official work. The good news is that there are a lot of online apps that have released exercise routines that can be easily done at home without any equipment. Some apps have made this available for free while some require a subscription. There are cardiac routines, yoga, meditation, HIIT and a lot of more. Such workouts are also a great way of engaging kids since they are not able to go out to play with their friends. For adults, you can stay fit with such exercise routines so that you don’t come out of this lockdown completely out of shape. Some good apps to look at are Cure.Fit, 30 Day Fitness Challenge, and Step Set Go among others.

Medicines

Medicines are also among the list of essentials that the government has mandated be available throughout the period of lockdown. Online service providers such as Medplus, Medlife and PharmEasy have been taking and delivering orders of medicines to your doorstep along with other essential such as sanitizers and masks. This is also a great initiative to make contactless delivery of medicines possible.

Entertainment and gaming

Entertainment is another option to keep yourself and the family occupied. While OTTs such as Netflix and Amazon Prime have seen an increase in the amount of time people are spending on their platforms, gaming is another area where the time spent has increased multiple times over. And this is not just through devices such as Xbox and Play Station, but also on mobiles and desktops. Games such as Destiny, Counterstrike and PubG to name a few, have seen a huge surge in traffic. If you don’t know where to start, you can always look at recommendations given by your friends on social media for movies, web series and even games.

The important thing to remember during this difficult time is that this lockdown and social distancing is necessary for our own safety. While we might feel we are going stir crazy alone at home, let’s be thankful for things service providers who are making our lives a little easier. Let’s also look at this as an opportunity to catch up with people we always mean to call and ensure that they are safe and doing well.

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