Indians Are Returning To Office, Finally
Indians are returning to office as the pace of Covid-19 vaccination rises and the threat of a third wave recedes.
Water-cooler talks, tea and cigarette breaks, banter over shared lunch are all coming back.
A year and a half after working remotely as Covid-19 forced people to stay indoors, Indians are finally returning to office as vaccinations rise and the threat of a third wave recedes.
The seven-day moving average mobility was 1.7% below the pre-pandemic baseline as on Oct. 29, according to Google Covid-19 Community Mobility Report. That’s the closest it has been since the onset of the pandemic.
Google shares mobility trends daily with changes for each day compared with a baseline value for that day of the week. A seven-day moving average smoothens out trends and day-to-day volatility.
Mobility to places of work is already above the pre-pandemic levels in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, among others.
The Metro Picture
Movement to workplaces across India’s large metropolitans remained significantly lower than the national average. That’s because these cities are densely populated, reported a higher number of infections, saw reverse migration and still offer limited public transportation.
Mumbai: The seven-day moving average mobility is 13.7% below the pre-pandemic baseline for places of work as on Oct. 29.
Delhi: Mobility to the workplace is 12.7% below the pre-pandemic baseline.
Bengaluru Urban: Mobility to places of work is 26.4% below the pre-pandemic baseline.