scrubbedexpat141

How's everyone behaving / surviving / acting?

I'm in the office a single day a week, could do 5 if I wanted but quite enjoying the home working - also really enjoy being back at work for the focus it provides sometimes.
We still go out and about almost as normal, we've done more brunches in the last few weeks than we did in the 6 months before lockdown I reckon.
It almost feels like 'back to normal' at the moment, just with masks. I'm not anal about washing hands and sanitizer - I'm normally pretty clean anyway. I'm just kind of rolling with it and hoping the KSA borders open up to help business.

How is everyone else doing?

csdf

1 week in the office, 1 week at home. About 70% of the office has officially absented themselves for "pre-existing conditions" so I meet fewer people when I'm at work than when I stay at home.

Stayed at a hotel last week: half the family caught a cold, which just goes to show how bloody difficult it is to avoid catching things, even with masks, handwashing and social distancing.

nonthaburi

Completely back to normal at work. Compulsory masks at all times which is a pain.

co durham boy

We've never stopped so work wise it's normal but obviously we're in a massive downturn . Personal wise i haven't been out that much , the few times i have been out its been shite , no atmosphere , cant sit at the bar and got to book tables . I'd rather stay in to be fair .

We did do a stay cation which was bizarre . Stayed at the Al Qasr and actually had to go and find someone to check in . Whole resort dead from the JB all the way up to the AQ . Kind of apocalyptic , enjoyed it but go the feeling the big crash is coming very very quickly.

Place is on its arse

scrubbedexpat141

We did a staycation at the Royal Meridien and it was phenomenal - in terms of service and their efforts.....that good I actually wrote to them to tell them. I'm officially old.

co durham boy

Agreed ours was great and the resort adapted brilliantly but its not sustainable . Jumeirah had 5 restaurants open out of 24 . We got an upgrade to beach front villa and it was great but it was sad to see a place that is usually teaming with people deserted .

scrubbedexpat141

I don't feel too sorry for them, the Eid weekend the prices went mental, so **** them.

What was once my absolute favourite pub and I was in at least 1-2 times a week has just completely destroyed good faith with a few of the regulars. Prices have gone up, no more loyalty discount, happy hour has changed to working hours and the staff are working longer shifts with fewer on so they're getting battered. One of them explained it was just the mentality - we've lost lots of revenue during lockdown so let's bump prices, get rid of discounts and **** everyone who comes in the door for what we can. Mental.

Millhouse

when do you think the big crash will come?

my wife is selling 120dh of face cream a day compared to the usual 2000. Some of that is summer, some of it isn’t. Other local businesses I’m involved with are doing ok.

co durham boy

End of the year . we're already seeing tenders shelved for the RTA and other clients . Most can scrape through until year end but after that it's anyone's guess . The 'build it and they will come' motto has just been reversed .

co durham boy

I was more sad to see the state of the resort to be fair , we're talking right from the JBH along to the Dar Al Masyaf villas . The Mina and AQ were basically shut . There's 3.5K of resort there and if no ones coming to fill it then it'll cease to exist in the form we know it .

Places are trying to adapt , as i said before its unsustainable long term in the current operating format for the F&B . For me i'm not bothered if there is a happy hour or not , i stopped going to my local as its crap due to the way its currently set up . Places are always going to gouge you here , its part of the DNA of Dubai

scrubbedexpat141

Yeah agree. I was impressed with how they adapted at brekkie for example, still stations but people serving everything from them, 'Social Distancing Manager' on the prowl and checking everything. Staff were pretty amazing but the place was half deserted and made it a bit weird at times.

It's just a shame that some places have struggled and try to recoup through people rather than thinking differently. You can shear a sheep many times but you can only skin it once.

co durham boy

Correct mate , absolute pure greed . It'll eat itself basically .

asjglx

Kuwait entered phase 4 of the return to normal plan today. Restaurants and cafes are now allowed to operate and barbershops have re-opened. Overnight curfew remains from 9pm to 3am.

Work is a doddle - 4 hours per day, 5 days per week. The rumour is that it might stay like this until next year. We follow the ministries, so it's on them. We were strict with the PPE and temperature checks at first, but people are becoming more and more nonchalant everyday.

Airport is a pain in the ass! If you leave, it's incredibly difficult to get back in again.

Kuwait economy is in tatters. The next 6 months will be interesting. As the airport becomes more functional and more jobs start to disappear, the exodus of all nationalities will be huge.

scrubbedexpat141

I saw something today about the Lions tour in JULY 2021 being delayed / postponed.

We surely can't be thinking that there's a need to continue like this until way into next year?

I was all for the lockdown and saving lives but the balance has to be found now, when do we start prioritising the future of economies and jobs etc?

Millhouse

I knew you would come around. The damage is now done, and the worst of it is that we don't even know the size of the economic problem, yet alone the solution.