Stay safe and help others: The lockdown mantra of this Gurugram society

The society has also accommodated all staff members, mostly from nearby villages and slums, at vacant apartments and makeshift quarters in the changing rooms adjoining a swimming pool.

A community fridge placed in front of HEWO 1 Apartments in Sector 56 is helping residents reach out to those in need of food. The initiative, started around a year ago, is proving to be quite useful in the current situation, say residents. Placed right next to the main gate and run through seven days of the week, there is no lock on the fridge and passersby can pick any item at any point of the day, they said.

At the gate, security guards have been provided with infrared thermometers to measure the temperature of those entering the society. (Yogendra Kumar/HT file photo. Representative image)

“Residents are contributing to the fridge by placing packets of home-cooked food. As soon as items are placed, some one or the other picks it up,” said Virender Singh, the vice-president of the residents’ welfare association (RWA).

Minisha Bhardwaj, an artist, who stays in the building, says residents are taking safety precautions while placing the food. Also, those placing food post on the apartment social media group, ensuring that only healthy persons contribute.

“The fridge is touched by a lot of people. So, you have to ensure that it is safe for those contributing as well as those collecting the food. Every time someone places an item in the fridge, they put a message on the WhatsApp group,” said Bhardwaj.

The society has also accommodated all staff members, mostly from nearby villages and slums, at vacant apartments and makeshift quarters in the changing rooms adjoining a swimming pool. They use the cooking facilities to prepare food, while residents, sometimes, provide them with tea and snacks. Dry ration — rice, dal, oil, sugar and salt, among other items — were recently distributed to them by the RWA.

At the gate, security guards have been provided with infrared thermometers to measure the temperature of those entering the society. They are directed to mandatorily sanitise their hands and sanitisers have been provided at each tower lobby.

The RWA has also procured its own supply of sodium hypochlorite, commonly known as liquid bleach, for sanitising the complex twice a day. Special attention is given to commonly used areas — elevators, lobbies and stairs.

The society has a grocery store, which has now been expanded to include vegetables and fruits. In the initial days of the lockdown, it had to depend on food delivery trucks of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG).

“We now have a shop for fresh vegetables and fruits, so that residents don’t have to step out. The shop has been provided to him (grocery store owner) rent-free. A rate card has been displayed outside the store and he has to sell it as per the government rates,” said Singh. He added that only one resident is allowed inside the shop at a go, while others have to wait outside on the markings to ensure social distancing.

All online deliveries are currently restricted to the gate. Residents are expected to pick up their orders to ensure that non-residents don’t the society.

Following the lockdown, the society worked hard to gather the travel histories of residents. Tower volunteers called up each of the 200-odd families residing in the society to find out if they had recently travelled.

“It was tiring to call up each family, but then the task was done at the end. We called up each household, asked for their travel history over the past 15 days. Not all of them came forward, so we had to cross-check with neighbours too,” said Diksha Babhoota, a resident, who helped record travel histories of residents.

After the collection of travel history, the society asked three families to home-quarantine, as they had recently returned from foreign trips. “They were strictly told that they cannot step out. At the same time, we ensured that all their essential needs were catered to by the security team,” said Singh.

The society put in place a no-walking policy and even informed residents via circulars of the same. However, some continue with their old routines.

“We have a few residents who continue to take walks. They are few in numbers. We are strictly enforcing masks in public spaces. Residents have to wear masks every time they step out of the apartment,” said Singh.

He added that for the time being, pet owners have mostly chosen to remain indoors.