M3M Golf Estate: Expats, residents, staff unite to keep each other safe amid Covid outbreak

Seiko Uchida, a Japanese resident of M3M Golf Estate located in Sector 65, has been working hard to ensure the expat community of the society can reach out for help

Seiko Uchida, a Japanese resident of M3M Golf Estate located in Sector 65, has been working hard to ensure the expat community of the society can reach out for help and support during the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

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The condominium located on Golf Course Ext Road has clusters of communities from Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, England, Italy and a few other European countries. Uchida, a member of the condominium’s volunteer task force, was put in charge of conveying messages to the expat community, which includes close to 50 expat families.

“Due to cultural differences and language barriers, these people did not want to be added to the residents’ group. So I am passing on all messages to them via separate groups. I try to assist them as much as possible. Some of them don’t have drivers now, so I take them out for grocery shopping,” Uchida said. She added that before the Covid-19 outbreak, she wasn’t even aware of the presence of the large expat community. It was only when they were forced to form groups and exchange information that she came across them.

The society, which started occupancy in 2017, has close to 490 families living on the property. Being part of a relatively new society, most peoples did not know their neighbours. But residents feel the pandemic brought the society together to actively fight as a community. The task force, comprising a group of 22 volunteers from 11 towers, was created in a few hours when the precautions to be taken during the lockdown were being decided.

“Being a new society, we did not have any existing resident’s body. So forming one was an urgent requirement. Surprisingly, we were able to form one in a matter of hours,” Anindya Sarkar, a resident, said.

The task force is responsible for extending emergency services to residents who are in quarantine and also to senior citizens unable to step out. The group includes resident doctors who provide consultations.

The society set up two helplines, one for each tower and a central helpline for them to reach out for any support. Families in quarantine often use it to place orders for daily needs. The same can also be done via email, Sarkar said.

To restrict the movement of staff, the society has accommodated close to 70 members of staff in vacant apartments. The staff is responsible for housekeeping, maintenance, security and horticulture.

“We did not want the staff to increase the risk of bringing in the virus so we decided to provide them with accommodation inside. Selected members of staff who were living alone in the city were picked for this,” Arvind Kumar, head of facilities management at Golf Estate, said.

He added that residents came forward to make their stay comfortable by donating mattresses, bedsheets and pillows. Each room houses only two members of staff. They have also set up a fund to provide monetary assistance to them and tied up with an NGO to provide relief to daily wagers.

The in-house staff is being provided with food by the condominium’s club kitchen. The kitchen and its staff remain functional and are open to orders from residents who are unable to cook. “The kitchen provides three meals for the staff every day. In case any resident wants to, they can place an order as well,” Kumar said.

While the condominium has no strict rules to stop residents from taking walks within the over 56-acre property, it does ask residents to maintain social distancing, even when walking with family members. Pet owners taking their dogs for walks have been strictly asked to not go beyond the pet relief area.

During the lockdown, life has slowed down but residents say they are taking the time to observe the little joys of life. “The other day, someone shared pictures of birds that flew into their balcony on the WhatsApp group. People are finding the time to do these small things now,” Sarkar said.