When everything comes to halt

We had one of our biggest reunions all planned and ready to roll out. Then, then something went viral — and it wasn’t a YouTube video.

Basicolans had scheduled Spring Reunion 2020, for 21 March. And with less than ten days left, the organisers decided to postpone the program indefinitely. With the declaration of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic, it goes without saying, the health and safety of our community is paramount.

Better cautious than sick

Over the past few days, several events and social gatherings have been cancelled as preventive measures to curtail the spread of the virus. It is a trying, and frustrating time for all of us. At the same time, we must remain optimistic. If we restrain ourselves right now, we can tide this over sooner.

We urge everyone to follow the govt-prescribed health advisories, including washing hands frequently and covering the mouth and nose with tissue while sneezing or coughing.

If you can, please work from home. If your work requires you to travel, please avoid crowded areas and public transport.

Most importantly, if you feel unwell, please seek medical care, and stay indoors.

Looking for a silver lining

In our hyper connected world, and the ease with which we can now travel, it seems difficult to be confined to a small area. Yet, it is some of the technology behind this hyper connectedness, that makes it possible to remain connected, while being distant. We now have tools to enable remote work: video calls and conferencing, cloud-based file management, real-time collaboration tools...

If there is a silver lining to the current situation, it may just be this: if you or your organisation has been mulling remote work, or been on the fence, this may be the best opportunity to put remote working to the test.

The time and energy (human and fossil fuel) spent commuting, can be saved, and utilised for spending time with family, or pursuing long-lost hobbies. And for those who may be too young to know a time before the internet, this is a great way to learn what hobbies are!

Maybe, bring out the board-games from storage.

This too, shall pass

We do have hope that the situation will be controlled, and sometime soon, we’ll be able to announce a new date for Spring Reunion 2020.

Until then, please stay safe, healthy, and optimistic.