Lockdown Safety: Home Delivery in a COVID-19 World

**UN Illustration for Covid-19 Lockdown Protocols**

The fourth iteration of the coronavirus lockdown is in full swing in India. Lockdown 4.0 has already relaxed many of the restrictions we have been facing over the last two months. But it is clear that social distancing needs to continue for as long as this pandemic does.

Needless to say, staying away from crowded stores and ordering online is an excellent way of maintaining social distancing. And now that e-commerce for non-essential goods is allowed, you can buy a wider range of products without undue stress.

Among the little pleasures that had to be sacrificed during the COVID-19 lockdown was the feeling of holding a newly arrived print book in your hands. The lifting of the ban on e-commerce for non-essential goods is thus welcomed by avid readers all over India. But the question remains: How can you safely handle the packages you receive from your favorite online service?

Here are a few simple steps you can follow to keep yourself and your family safe:

Pre-Pay Online: Avoid cash on delivery and credit/ debit cards wherever possible.
No-Contact Delivery: Arrange for your packages to be delivered at a designated location outside your home. This way, you can keep both yourself and the delivery executive safe.
Dispose of the packaging safely: Dispose of the outer packaging immediately, preferably in a separate designated location.
‘Quarantine’ your Purchases: Establish a separate space for your orders. Leave them there for 24 hours in case of non-perishable items.
Wash your hands: After handling the package, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly. Avoid touching any surfaces inside your home aside from the established ‘quarantine’ zones until you’ve done this. (You can check out the WHO guidelines on correct hand washing protocol here.)
Sanitize: Wipe down the product with disinfectant (such as sanitizers containing at least 70% alcohol) before use.
Enjoy your product!

Safety First! Pothi.com’s COVID-19 Lockdown Protocol

While you do your part, we are sure to do ours! As we resume delivery of print books from our Online Store, here are a few rules we follow to ensure your safety:

Protective Equipment: Face masks and gloves are used at all times during the handling of packages.
Sanitized Work Environment: The work surface used for the packing of books is sanitized regularly.
Quarantining Packages: All books received from our printers are quarantined for 24 hours before being packed..
Essential Staff Only: We are operating at the minimum required staff strength on our premises to maintain social distancing. The majority of our team continues to work from home.

So fear not! We have your back. Now you can put away any niggling fears you may have and look forward to getting back on track with your favourite quarantine activities: reading, publishing, and selling your books on Pothi.com.

Interview: Deeksha Divya Padhmanabhan

We spoke to Deeksha Divya Padhmanabhan, author of the book Personification on Planets and Sun. She collaborated with her sister Praganya while creating the book.

Why did you choose to write about the solar system during this pandemic?

I am 9 years old and as schools are closed during the lockdown period, I was getting bored. I like reading and writing so I was writing something. I wrote a page on Sun using Personification and my mother liked it very much and suggested me to write more on other planets. So, I decided to write on all planets.

How long did it take you to write it?

It took me 10-12 days to write and my sister took another few days in doing illustrations.

Describe how you and your sister collaborated on this story.

My sister Praganya who is 7 years old, lives in Bangalore. I live in Goa. So, when I started writing this personification, I thought of making it as a book. All kids’ books are incomplete without illustrations. I asked my sister if she would be interested in doing illustrations as she is very good at drawing. She happily agreed. So, I use to send her my completed part and she use to draw based on my writing.

What was your experience using the Pothi.com platform like?

My mummy and my Mausi took charge once both of us completed our book. They heard about Pothi.com and based on their experience, I can say that it is super easy and effective.

Of the nine planets, which is your favorite, besides Earth?

Besides Earth, Mars is my favorite because scientists are exploring life on Mars. After seeing “Mission Mangal’ I got more interested in this planet. I have also read that Mars might have aliens.

Tell us about your next project.

I don’t know but I think if I write again a book, I would write one on Dinosaurs.

Thank you for telling us about your book adventure Deeksha. Wish you and Praganya luck in your future writing ventures!

Free Resources for Your Lockdown Leisure

COVID-19 has taken the world by storm. Never before has an invisible enemy created such a global catastrophe in recent history. Countries are going into lockdown and the daily rut of pre-coronavirus days seems like privilege. But on the flip side, whether we are social distancing, in self-isolation or under quarantine, those of us who stay in a safe environment have an opportunity to introspect and work on creating healthier routines.

The silver lining of this crisis is the large number of institutions and individuals who have gone on a knowledge-sharing spree. We are especially grateful to everyone who has gone out of their way to make this dystopian present more meaningful.

Here’s a list of some free resources to keep you occupied and to help you get through these hard times.

Wordnomics: Books and Writing

Writing during lockdown: If you have tried writing 50,000 words for the NaNoWriMo, you may want to use this lockdown to pen down a chapter, a short story or the outline of a novel. Try to achieve a daily word count with #StayathomeWrimo. It isn’t easy and you don’t have to beat yourself up if you don’t get the required word count but even a paragraph can stand you in good stead.
Read at Home Initiatives: Although books are now considered non-essential commodities, there is a huge supply of books and stories online:
- Fatima Bhutto and Sanam Meher are presenting short reads by writers in different genres.
- Roli Books has also organized live conversations with well-known authors.
- For children, the #ThodaReadingCorona project driven by Bijal Vachharajani encourages children to listen to stories. You can catch authors reading their stories on the facebook group Reading Raccoons.
Many publishers are sharing great reads.
- Juggernaut – This publishing house is offering books on their mobile app platform for free. You can spend your lockdown leisure diving into historical fiction like Rebel Sultans by Manu S. Pillai and romantic comedy like Combat Skirts by Sahana Ahmed at the tap of a finger. Read quick!
- Audible – The audiobook store is also sharing plenty of free book content And if self-isolation isn’t perfect time to listen to classics and children’s fiction, what is?
- Digital subscription to Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle – If you are a fan of Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle or you want your children to read what you loved as a child growing up in India, this is the option for you. Subscription lasts for a month from signing up and you can read the comics on your mobile!

Virtual Wisdom and Documentaries

Many libraries and presses are providing free content access during these trying times.

JSTOR –This digital library features the best of peer-reviewed scholarly journals and research reports, and has announced that all their open access content is now available without having to login. Catch up on your academic reading while in lockdown.
Oxford University Press – The biggest university press is providing free access to its educational resources to students and teachers, to aid efforts at creating a home learning environment for kids while schools are closed.
Scholastic – One of the world’s largest publishers and distributors of children’s books has also launched a website towards this end.
The Internet Archive- This library has even courted controversy by suspending waitlists for 1.4 million+ titles to create a National Emergency Library for the benefit of displaced readers and of those in quarantine.
Library of Congress: The largest library in the world has select works on offer.
Project Muse– Publishers who wish to make their works available at this time are able to do so here.
The KKV Repository – You can also browse through Supreme Court lawyer K. K. Venugopal’s personal library archive.

The Google Arts and Culture site is mind boggling. There are scores of museums, artworks and street scenes that are on view. If you feel too cooped up in the house, hop into the Uffizi Gallery and browse through Renaissance paintings or visit the Museum of Modern Art and examine the passionate brushstrokes of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night.

Miscellaneous

Chat apps are a great way of being with friends or colleagues even in this time of isolation.

Bunch: A group video chat app for live mobile games.
House Party– A video chat app that enables you talk to up to eight friends in real time.
Zoom– An app that is now being used all over the world to conduct office meetings for those working from home, as well classes and workshops on various subjects.
Netflix Party – This simple Chrome extension allows you to watch Netflix episodes and movies at the same time as your friends, and the chat function lets you comment and react to what you’re watching in real time. Who said isolation had to be so… isolated?

The Metropolitan Opera is running its Live in HD series of free streamed performances every night this week. You can check this week’s schedule here.

For those of you who are tired of seeing only your pets, you may want to explore some nature documentaries of peaceful places here in India. Check out these youtube channels for more:

Let us know how you are getting through quarantine. Stay home and stay safe!