New Office Spaces For Post-Covid World

~ Seema Sharma (Atlanta, USA)

When a bird flies into a cage with open doors, it stays there for grains and water without any struggle. Its wings do not start flapping with panic and a desire for independence until they see the cage door closing. The caged bird bears some semblance to what most of us are facing today due to the lockdown. In the times of a pandemic, when we have to prioritise physical health over mental health for survival by resorting to isolation and social distancing, there are still certain steps we can take to help each other. Whereas some are fortunate enough to quarantine with their families, not everyone is equally blessed that way. For people who are already vulnerable to mental health issues, the loneliness induced by the mandated social isolation can be a trigger for relapsing into depression, anxiety and other mental disorders. Senior citizens and older adults comprise another section of the population that are more adversely affected by the social distancing. Being more prone to contracting the coronavirus, they have to go through extended measures to enforce social isolation, such as staying away from younger family members who are exposed to the world outside of the house more than they are.