Coronavirus pandemic made us all stop in the daily rush and look at things from a different angle. Social life rituals we’re all used to will no longer be in place, business traveling and meetings are prohibited, transportation connections are broken. Is there a bigger meaning for the humanity behind the spread of COVID-19 virus, that was meant to disrupt our established world outlook? The coronavirus crisis may become the modern-age Tower of Babel, where on the contrary, we should start speaking the same language and regain the value of life and care.
Ukraine: latest updates
Among the very latest news on COVID-19 situation in Ukraine, we have the following:
- Today, 113 people infected with coronavirus have been detected in Ukraine. Most patients have recently returned from abroad. In Kyiv, the first cases were detected on March 16 in two people who visited EU countries;
- Ukrainians with a mild form of COVID-19 will be provided with outpatient medical care in home self-isolation;
- Over 40,000 rapid tests for COVID-19 coronavirus were distributed to medical facilities;
- Ukraine has received 250,000 rapid tests from China, as well as PCR tests, medical masks of varying degrees of protection, disinfectants, mechanical ventilation devices and other means necessary to combat the spread of the virus.
To prevent the rapid spread of coronavirus, the Ministry of Health urges Ukrainians to take restrictive measures and adhere to elementary recommendations with all understanding and responsibility.
Governmental restrictions
As we recently reported, on March 12, the government of Ukraine decided to impose quarantine for three consecutive weeks. From now on we all have to live in a completely new reality. Official governmental decrees affected the following areas of public life and services:
- Public transport. In three cities of Ukraine, namely Kiev, Dnipro and Kharkov, the subway was shut down until the 3d of April. The remaining public transport only admits medical and emergency workers;
- International travel. According to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, Ukrainians are forbidden to travel outside the country for tourist purposes. Foreigners are restricted from entering the country. All airports except “Boryspil” are shut down;
- Operations. Both businesses and government institutions were officially encouraged to send their employees home to work remotely;
- Shopping and eating out. Fast food establishments, cafes, restaurants, and bars are closed. Shopping centers are quarantined, but the grocery supermarkets located in them can work;
- Education. Universities, schools and kindergartens are transferred to online education from the 17th of March.
The declaration of the state of emergency on the whole territory of Ukraine does not seem so unreal anymore.
Office attendance
A week before the announcement of quarantine in Ukraine, we began to worry about how to protect our team from any coronavirus-related risks. Starting from March 12 we allowed our entire team regardless of the role and seniority level not to come to the office and work from home unconditionally. This is how it was affecting attendance of the office:
*Redwerk allows all employees to work remotely
**All employees were moved to the mandatory remote work routines
Two weeks later, we made this measure compulsory, closed our both offices and sent everyone home, no exceptions.
Imagine that just one sick person can make the entire office go out of order. This would put the life of their loved ones at risk and jeopardize work for our many customers. We only have two offices, so it was a decision not to take chances.
What changed at Redwerk
Tracking. We already had this covered. On a daily basis our team members log their hours into JIRA along with a brief description of what has been done. Doesn’t matter if you work from the office or from home, all the information is there for project managers and customers.
Conferencing. For stable communication, Slack messenger and Zoom or Skype video calls are used. While we want to keep our flexible working hours, the new rule is to specify that in your Slack status. Example: “work hours: 10-19, pause: 14-15”. This manages expectations of the others who need to know your availability.
During video calls we encourage the usage of cameras not to lose the feeling of teamwork and get closer to real presence and interpersonal contact.
Team building. Traffic in all our chats has sufficiently increased and the team spirit is going strong. There is a plan to organize an evening games league to play Mortal Kombat or cards against the humanity games online.
What happened to clients
While all projects are going on just like before the crisis, some industries expectedly are already facing problems. Due to the uncertainty some tech investors freeze funding. This happened to our startup customer who has their funding paused starting April. Other folks in the event and fashion space asked for additional time to pay their invoices, because people no longer plan events until the situation gets better. Both of these customers are in the US.
Reminder how to stay safe
Don’t risk your health and health of your loved ones by following a few simple rules:
- Wash your hands and sanitize them properly;
- Disinfect your working surfaces on a regular basis;
- Cover your face with a medical mask in the street and public places;
- Avoid crowded places;
- Go outside only in case of high necessity;
- Get enough rest;
- Eat properly including veggies and fruits.
More memes!
To cheer you up, here are our favorite most recent memes on the subject.
