Business as usual is what everyone wants but there is an element of fear commercial activities have come back to operations. The coffee shops have always been a favourite amongst the youngsters as well as senior citizens, but the latter has been able to control the urge to explore the outdoors to great extent in the wake of Covid-19.
As Barka al Bakry stood out looking from her balcony overlooking the Al Hail beach she said she was astounded to see families go in groups with young children and join the crowd.
“Covid-19 curve is going up again. I see so many people walking without a mask –grownups, elderly, and youngsters. We must wear a mask. Why are we going backward now?” she questioned.
She added, “Instead of vigorously following instructions and the guidelines by wearing a mask we have now given it up. This is dangerous. We need to go back to wearing our mask. In addition there are places on the beach where people are throwing their masks and even on the road. This has to stop. Please try your best to wear the mask. It is very important.”
The desperation many are felt by many others too who have been enjoying the outdoors. They are surprised at the sudden relaxation in people’s behavior. Mohammed al Farsi enjoys cycling every day in Shatti Al Qurum and he noted that ever since the cafes and restaurants opened back there is a change in the mindset of people.
“I think it is good that everything is opening up but we need to be a little bit careful as people have gone from being stuck at home all
this while to being able to go out. And I think some are going a bit overboard. People have started to play football on the beach and the social distancing is gone. I worry about bicycling now because there is so much traffic and cannot even go over the pavement. It has gone
from one extreme to the other that I wonder if things are not done right we might have to go back to the lockdown days. So right now it is almost like how it was before lockdown. I see no difference. We need to be careful and practice caution,” observed Al Farsi.
As per the rule, the public should not gather at one place and at a restaurant only four can be seated at one table. Many people still prefer takeaways while others are beginning to hold meetings and work at coffee shops.
SOURCE: OMANOBSERVER