Being pointed at with a thermometer in the hand of a stranger standing at just arm’s length away and having to jot down personal contact details with a pen on a clipboard at every shop visited, do make people uneasy.
It is even worse when the staff on duty inches too close while checking your temperature or when you visualise the number of people who had used that pen before you.
I have to remind myself to bring along a pen everywhere I go, to avoid using the one provided by these establishments.
So, kudos to premises that have started using QR codes for contact tracing.
Let’s face it, these practices are going to be around for some time to come, it is the new normal after all.
Change is the only constant, so it is best we embrace it because it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made us aware of the importance of hygiene, and to a certain extent, has made some of us paranoid about stepping out of the house.
It will take time for the public to adjust to these unpredictable circumstances and some businesses are taking measures to make customers feel more at ease.
All of us have to bear in mind that battling this virus is everyone’s responsibility.
When the conditional movement control order (MCO) was enforced, businesses slowly opened up and the public started going out for meals, something all Malaysian foodies yearned for after being cooped up at home for about two months.
But this does not mean we should let down our guard while going out and about.
As customers, we should at least wear a mask, sanitise our hands frequently and observe social distancing.
Back at home, it is recommended that we disinfect any items brought into the house.
I had the opportunity to speak to several restaurant owners who went the extra mile to make customers feel at ease while dining-in.
“Diners are the ones who determine the success of a restaurant. Their confidence towards the restaurant and support is vital for business,” said Ray Low, a cafe general manager in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
I find his establishment can be a role model for others. The cafe uses an infrared temperature scanner with an LCD display, offers customers a plastic cover for their mask and places partitions on dining tables.
These steps can make customers feel more at ease while dining in and for the same reason, make return visits.
We can view the new normal in a different light.
The implementation of the QR code for contact tracing and digital menu in some establishments has helped expedite the adoption of technology in our lives. Some restaurants are no longer accepting cash transactions, in order to minimise physical contact with banknotes and allow payments only through credit card or e-wallet.
In fact, digital menus and e-payment features are already the norm in China, South Korea and Hong Kong.
Malaysia needs to go cashless and digital and the Covid-19 pandemic has allowed that to happen to a greater degree.
It has also increased awareness of the need to observe hygiene.
Wearing a mask protects the wearer and other people in the vicinity while preventing germs or viruses from spreading.
Someone jokingly told me that wearing a mask prevents spitting, a bad habit that we would all like to see the last of.
These new norms and standard operating procedures are not necessarily a bad thing and may be around for some time to come.
So, let’s embrace these changes, especially if they are for our own and the greater good.
It is even worse when the staff on duty inches too close while checking your temperature or when you visualise the number of people who had used that pen before you.
I have to remind myself to bring along a pen everywhere I go, to avoid using the one provided by these establishments.
So, kudos to premises that have started using QR codes for contact tracing.
Let’s face it, these practices are going to be around for some time to come, it is the new normal after all.
Change is the only constant, so it is best we embrace it because it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made us aware of the importance of hygiene, and to a certain extent, has made some of us paranoid about stepping out of the house.
It will take time for the public to adjust to these unpredictable circumstances and some businesses are taking measures to make customers feel more at ease.
All of us have to bear in mind that battling this virus is everyone’s responsibility.
When the conditional movement control order (MCO) was enforced, businesses slowly opened up and the public started going out for meals, something all Malaysian foodies yearned for after being cooped up at home for about two months.
But this does not mean we should let down our guard while going out and about.
As customers, we should at least wear a mask, sanitise our hands frequently and observe social distancing.
Back at home, it is recommended that we disinfect any items brought into the house.
I had the opportunity to speak to several restaurant owners who went the extra mile to make customers feel at ease while dining-in.
“Diners are the ones who determine the success of a restaurant. Their confidence towards the restaurant and support is vital for business,” said Ray Low, a cafe general manager in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
I find his establishment can be a role model for others. The cafe uses an infrared temperature scanner with an LCD display, offers customers a plastic cover for their mask and places partitions on dining tables.
These steps can make customers feel more at ease while dining in and for the same reason, make return visits.
We can view the new normal in a different light.
The implementation of the QR code for contact tracing and digital menu in some establishments has helped expedite the adoption of technology in our lives. Some restaurants are no longer accepting cash transactions, in order to minimise physical contact with banknotes and allow payments only through credit card or e-wallet.
In fact, digital menus and e-payment features are already the norm in China, South Korea and Hong Kong.
Malaysia needs to go cashless and digital and the Covid-19 pandemic has allowed that to happen to a greater degree.
It has also increased awareness of the need to observe hygiene.
Wearing a mask protects the wearer and other people in the vicinity while preventing germs or viruses from spreading.
Someone jokingly told me that wearing a mask prevents spitting, a bad habit that we would all like to see the last of.
These new norms and standard operating procedures are not necessarily a bad thing and may be around for some time to come.
So, let’s embrace these changes, especially if they are for our own and the greater good.
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