In these dire times, when the newspaper brings horrifying statistics every day and all that news channels talk is the appalling condition of the economy, we bring to you things that made us smile. 1. Band on the wheels: It is hard to be confined in homes during these difficult times. To help citizens cope with depression and anxiety, countries like Italy and Russia introduced the concept of ‘band on wheels’ where some local artists play the iconic songs on the go, echoing the city. Riding on the trucks, these artists are applauded by spectators through their balconies, reminding each and everyone that we are together in this. Even the billboards are replaced by multimedia screens where movies are screened to keep the residents entertained.
2. Ventilator Crisis: Car manufacturers like Mercedes AMG (racing division), GM and likes of Maruti in India have stepped up to bail us out of the ventilator crisis. Detroit is planning a rapid mobilisation of its engineering and manufacturing expertise to temporarily switch from car production to ventilator manufacturing. This is in response to the sudden pressure the pandemic has put on the healthcare system. Although the manufacturing is at its optimal level, the demand is outstripping the supply. Nonetheless, established manufacturing firms are withdrawing their patents to let the car manufacturers use their technology and techniques. On similar lines, LVMH, the parent brand of Louis Vuitton, Bulgari and Tiffany among many others, is using its perfume production lines to manufacture hydroalcoholic gel, the base of most sanitizers.
3. Ola Pro: Ola Australia announced the launch of an extremely-sanitized, super-safe premier cab service, Ola Pro. They felt that currently people are wary of taking cab rides and for those who don't have any vehicle for emergency commute, this might be a real issue. With Ola Pro, they aim to instil some confidence in them. Ola also made its technology available to the governments, a technology capable of real-time tracking and managing crowds free of cost and they’ve started working in tandem with the Punjab government as well.
Italy’s Floating Hospital: Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV), which is part of MSC Group, has converted its ferry ‘Splendid’ into a floating hospital to assist patients in Italy’s hard-hit Liguria region. A lot of companies supported this step by offering free resources to this hospital like Burger King, which is offering free meals for the health workers. Another company is Aruba, a part of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) that installed the full network on board within five days to enhance communication. A similar plan was adopted in India, where the railway’s coaches were converted into hospital beds.
Notably, startups like Inner Hour are offering free mental health consulting to people in these times of peril. Even the big names like EY, SalesForce, Clearcover, PwC, Target, Starbucks are now paying heed to this issue and offering the employees and their families mental health benefits in one form or other. With everyone from Swiggy, Zomato to even Club Factory using their delivery fleet to deliver groceries and with ideas such as contactless delivery, the whole country is eternally grateful to these people who risk their lives to protect us.
Honesty, while we were reading the articles to collate the best initiatives of all, we genuinely felt that the world has come a lot closer than ever before to fight this pandemic. Truly, a commendable spirit of unity has been shown by all. We sincerely hope that this spirit helps us tide over the Covid-19 wave quickly.
Until then
Stay Home, Stay Safe
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