Adherence to curbs, easy access to vaccines drives young professionals to communities outside Mumbai

If workfromhome allowed many creative professionals move out of Mumbai during the first wave the second wave has made a new lot of working professionals and their families move to smaller communities outside the city in the hope of avoiding the dreaded virus and the added benefit of quick nohassle vaccinationThis lot includes those who work in large law and technology firms and entrepreneurs Their chosen destinations are second homes in places like Lonavala Deolali Alibaug etc where they have got easy access to vaccines and say the local population strictly adheres to restrictions They intend to stay put till the situation in Mumbai easesFamily over anything elseSolicitor Stuti Galiya who is a partner at a leading city law firm said complacency set in among Mumbaikars after restrictions were eased and she saw the situation rapidly change in February As cases surged in March she saw buildings around the city getting sealed triggering memories of long queues shortage of medicines and beds from last yearrsquos peakJegna Kariya taking the jab at a medical college close to DeolalildquoPrioritising our familyrsquos health we took a conscious decision to move to our second home in Lonavalardquo said Galiya ldquoIt is near Mumbai but also away from the bustle My husband who is also a corporate lawyer and I have been working from home last year Internet connectivity is not an issue and we are functioning seamlessly During weekends it is a strict lockdown here and everything is shut except medical shops The local authorities have been managing the situation effectivelyrdquoHer husband Advocate Awadesh Jha said his mother easily got her second vaccine dose in Lonavala ldquoThe area has good civic amenities and is wellconnected to Pune Navi Mumbai and Mumbairdquo he saidMany others from the couplersquos personal and professional circles have temporarily moved to places like Lonavala Karjat Deolali Alibaug and even Goa They said property prices have risen in such places due to the demand and that they have seen a number of properties being registered even during the lockdownSolicitor Stuti Galiya with her husband advocate Awadesh Jha at their Lonavala homeldquoWe have tried our hands at planting saplings in our garden an activity we have never tried before We were starting some of these plants a little early and we didnrsquot know how well they would thrive But it was exciting when weeks later pale shoots began to emerge Sitting amid the lush green plants and watching your hard work come alive makes you happy and feel fulfilledrdquo said GaliyaDeolalirsquos Kutchi communitiesAt Deolali Kutchi business families from Dadar Ghatkopar Thane Dahisar Borivli and Santacruz have moved to their bungalows in gated communitiesSantacruz residents Jegna and Arvind Kariya moved a few weeks ago when the situation around them started affecting them personally ldquoOur business has been going through highs and lows for a few months and with the recent lockdown this shift was neededrdquo said Jegna ldquoWe realised the concrete jungles may look attractive but only greenery around us can help us breathe in peace and rejuvenate our already stressed minds Also we were finding it difficult to get vaccinated in Mumbai due to the shortage Here we visited a nearby medical college and were out within 45 minutes after taking our jabsrdquoArvind said following the 2001 Kutch earthquake community elders who had lost everything started moving to Deolali and soon it became a sort of second home for the community at large Properties are in demand here tooldquoUnlike Mumbai shops are open till 11 am here and within our gated complex we are able to live as one large family doing everything that we missed in Mumbai during the pandemic mdash yoga cycling trekking etcrdquo he saidAnother new resident in Deolali is Heeraben Gada 78 from a Ghatkopar highrise where she lived with her son and family The first lockdown meant she was unable to leave her eighteenth floor flat It was not something she wanted to experience again when the second wave came In Deolali she has rediscovered her mobility and freedom If her son needs to be in Mumbai a roundtheclock maid takes overldquoThe gated community is spread on approximately two acres of land and we have around 20 bungalowsrdquo said her son Vinod ldquoStaying here is the new normal for us and we are enjoying every moment COVID has taught us a lot in the last one and half year ndash earlier we would work round the clock and in the process ignore our family and health Today though we are forced to be inside the house we are fortunate to be with our family supporting each other in every way From mopping floors to chopping vegetables the men in the family have pitched inrdquoFrom Deolali Vinod even coordinates and supervises a newly started 100bed COVID Care Centre run by the Ghatkopar Vagad Visa Oswal Samaj in Ghatkopar WldquoOut of 100 36 beds are now occupiedrdquo said Vinod ldquoWe have basic lifesaving setups and will be expanding shortly This was done as our community felt the need to help COVID patients who were finding it difficult to get beds and doctors in our circles helped make this centre operational We are hoping the local BMC ward office will help us procure lifesaving medicines and also help us in shifting any emergency patients to nearby Covid setups We will decide on returning to Mumbai after May 15 when the government decides on the lockdownrdquoExperts weigh inNishit Kumar founder and managing director Centre for Social and Behaviour Change Communication said ldquoWhether you own a flat in Mumbai and one in a holiday location or you rent in Mumbai you are possibly considering shifting your WFH location out of Mumbai When it became clear that last yearrsquos pandemic lockdown was going to be an extended one hundreds of Mumbaikars choose to shift their WFH location to GoaAlibaug Deolali and other such locations Quality of life pollution traffic density noise small flats etc contributed But more importantly corporates made it possible by embracing WFH They facilitated the moves with software configured laptops hispeed network connections and suitable adjustments in leave policy This has been an important factor Corporates are now more than ever geared to a hybrid workplace that is a mix of physical offices and WFH All major Corporates anyway work on dedicated Enterprisewide software platforms For you whatrsquos on offer is the cutting out of commuting time cleaner air and natural surroundings that are stress busters That said small locations have poor infrastructure both in health and administration power problems and fewer choices for branded product users For some years now creative professionals have been shifting to places such as Goa Unfortunately this move is also accompanied by increased working in front of laptops hazy boundaries between work hours and personal time social isolation and problems of schoolscolleges for families who have children Itrsquos no surprise that Corporates are increasingly focusing on mental health issuesrdquo Nishit concludedPsychotherapist Dr Shivani Pawar said the second wave of COVID 19 pandemic is largely impacting the mental health of people living in cities like Mumbai ldquoThe fear of getting infected uncertainty about lockdown worry about their parents and family staying away from them in their respective hometowns inadequate medical facilities financial losses created stress amongst the professionals working in Mumbai Most of the people are moving back to their hometowns as they feel the city wont be able to provide them the kind of support they might need during crisis This support which is readily available for them in their native placeldquoWhile its not a permanent solution it will certainly mitigate the panic During such unprecedented times people returning to their native places is extremely beneficial in reducing the overburdened pressure in the health system of city I believe that if one can afford to safely return to their hometown they should do so because it will first make them feel secure and a good state of mind will help them cope with the pandemic more effectively I have witnessed a significant spike in distress calls in the last month proving that the second wave of COVID19 pandemic is largely impacting the mental health of people especially those who are living in Mumbai for work away from their nativesrdquo