Second half of May sees daily help returning to work across India’s major metros barring Mumbai & Pune

MyGate has revealed that daily help (such as maids, cooks and nannies) employed by residents of gated communities on its platform are returning to work in the second half of May, after spending the previous two months at home. Though still much lower than pre-lockdown levels, it reflects Indian homes’ willingness to resume normal life. Furthermore, where entry is permitted to daily help, numerous protective measures have been put in place as resident welfare associations (RWAs) remain cautious.

Unlocking Down Across India

More than 60% of gated communities that use MyGate in South and North India have started to have their daily help back to work as of May 24, 2020, after numbers dropped to less than a quarter when the first lockdown began on March 25. Most confident among the cities is Bengaluru, where 76% of gated communities are permitting entry to maids, with Hyderabad a close second at 73%. Chennai (64%), Delhi (62%) and Kolkata (61%) aren’t far behind either.

Numbers, however, drop sharply in the western part of India. Only 15% of societies in Mumbai, the city worst hit by the coronavirus outbreak, are now permitting the entry of daily help. For Pune and Ahmedabad, the numbers are higher at 47% and 57%, respectively.

The decision of RWAs to open their communities back up to daily help is indicative of the prevailing mindset within cities. Accordingly, whereas the rising number of cases have caused societies in Mumbai to tighten rules after each successive lockdown, cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi began easing restrictions at the start of Lockdown 3.0 (the week beginning May 4).

RWAs’ Precautionary Measures

Communities that have decided to ease restrictions have, however, laid down new rules to ensure resident safety. Daily help are being asked to declare that they do not reside within containment zones and new measures have been put in place to ensure social distancing.  MyGate has also enabled a variety of features, such as mask and temperature checks at the gate, recording of exit and entry of residents to assist in contact tracing efforts, and a workflow to ensure contactless delivery of all parcels. 

Vijay Arisetty, CEO & Co-Founder, MyGate, said, “The trend we’re seeing across cities reflects the significant roles that daily help play in urban Indian homes. Their contribution is well-known and often acknowledged, but never felt as strongly as in these two months. We’re glad to have introduced a number of features to give RWAs the confidence to reopen their gates and give daily help the chance to get back to work.”