Essentials for the Surge of Covid-19 Cases in Singapore

Photo: The Straits Times

With increasing restrictions on public areas and stricter social distancing measures in light of the rising Covid-19 cases day by day, it is no surprise if we re-enter a time of working from home. Such restrictions may either be a blessing or curse for us, but in unprecedented times of a global pandemic, change is a constant and we have to consistently adapt to the ever-evolving challenges that the pandemic presents us with.

We bring you a list of essentials to get past the harrowing and stressful experience of working from home, where work-life balance is thrown off and you find yourself doing week old laundry instead of replying to that one email on your to-do list.

Loose Dress Shirt

Photo: MUJI

Lights, camera, action! This one is for those who have regular Zoom meetings and have to keep their cameras on and look like they actually bothered to wash their face and clean up for the meeting. The common dress shirt is fitted, stiff and stuffy which has 0 points for comfort, but the loose dress shirt keeps the sharp collar for a neater look, while featuring a looser, relaxed cut that ticks all the boxes for comfort on Zoom calls at home.

Laptop Stand

Photo: Amazon

A laptop stand is essential for many of us who work hunched over a laptop, whether from home or from the office. Bending over a small laptop is detrimental both to your posture and sanity, from having to rub those sore shoulders every 5 minutes. The laptop stand is adjustable and allows you to relax those shoulders one minute, and tighten your posture the next. This also helps with stiff necks as you don’t look down at your laptop screen anymore to answer emails and inbox messages from your pesky colleagues.

Wireless Mouse

Photo: Amazon

What’s a better companion for your laptop stand than a wireless mouse? Whether you’re doing laundry, making coffee or lounging in bed, a wireless mouse is wonderful for when you have to move your mouse a little so you stay online in the company chat, or for working on your sofa, on your bed, or on your floor like a sloth (which is everyone’s mood when they work from home, anyway).

Hand Grip Strengthener

Photo: Amazon

As we work from home to hide from diseases and talkative colleagues, many of us tend to lose morale and keep from working out which makes us lose muscle tone. While this isn’t an exact replacement for doing a full HIIT workout or 100 pushups, at least it’s something to keep your forearms engaged… I guess? On the plus side, you can do a few reps while your colleague drones on about his latest Bitcoin investment or his car breakdown on Zoom, so you can squeeze in a few minutes of hand exercises and stretches to work those arm muscles.

Exercise Balls

Photo: Amazon

Working from home doesn’t mean you can’t have fun! This large exercise ball can replace your uncomfortable dining chair which gives you buttock pain, and can help you to work your core and legs while you exercise as well. Bouncing on a large ball while working doesn’t seem the most professional, but who’s to know? It engages your core and legs, improves our posture as most balls are shorter which requires you to sit upright, and most importantly is fun to sit on. I’d say it’s a win!

Disinfecting Spray

Photo: Guardian

What? What do you need a disinfecting spray for at home? Well, the endless hours of Zoom calls and laptop snacking is a surefire guarantee for your laptop’s keyboard to be a hotbed of germs and bacteria, which many of us fail to realize. It’s a strange, dangerous world out here for bad hygiene, so it’s always important for us to maintain high levels of cleanliness and hygiene, even at home when we’re away from potential carriers of illnesses. Clean your laptop keyboard regularly to prevent it from being ground zero of a new Covid-19 strain.

Article written by Michelle Ang

Email: e190201@e.ntu.edu.sg