My Unlock survival kit: Three things to fight Covid-19, and pandemic paranoias

Here are a set of products that I turn to from daily use in mt pandemic-affected life (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
The pandemic has literally grounded all of us. But even then we have to step out, move around and interact with other humans. And over the past few months, I have acquired some stuff that gives me the peace of mind that I am doing what it takes to protect myself and my family. And that is pretty much all you can do, along with staying at home as much as you can.

Here are a set of products that I turn to for daily use in my pandemic-affected life

Nirvana Airific Mask

I have used a bunch of masks over the past four months. The first was a mask from Xiaomi I had bought during the annual pollution festival in Delhi. Then I turned to a bunch of cotton masks and even acquired a funny set of Money Heist masks from Soxytoes, even though I haven’t had the time to finish the series yet.
This N95 mask offers anti-viral and anti-bacterial protection. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
But the mask that gives me the most comfort is the Nirvana Airific Mask. It looks like a regular cloth mask and is one to a great extend. This N95 mask also offers anti-viral and anti-bacterial protection — against 99% bacteria and anything larger than 0.3 microns, the company claims. It comes with nanotech filters with three-layer protection, but is among the few masks that do not make me gasp for breath during a brisk walk. It is also as comfortable as a simple cotton mask, and that is why I like this more than the rest. But this does not come cheap and is priced Rs 995. However, you can wear it for about 200 hours with proper care. That’s at least 20 workdays.

Zapp touchless Covid safety device

This isn’t something I use a lot, but I have seen a lot of people getting habituated to these in the past few months. The Zapp touchless safety device is a copper allow contraption that can do a lot of stuff you would otherwise trust your fingers to do. It can be used to push buttons, press touch screens, open doors and even carry bags, so that your fingers themselves don’t touch any of these surfaces and items that could be contaminated. However, the most important part of a gadget like this is that you have to remember to keep it in your pocket and use it when needed — something extremely difficult for a forgetful person like me.
The Zapp touchless safety device is a copper allow contraption that can do a lot of stuff you would otherwise trust your fingers to do. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
At Rs 399, this is a good investment for those who have to venture out a lot. However, remember that now a lot of places forbid use of these Covid keys, especially in the lifts as many of the elevator buttons are getting damaged because of the metal touch.

RAEGR ARC 1500 UVC Sterilizer Box with Wireless Charger

Now, this is the most gadgety of all the things on this list. The RAEGR ARC 1500 is a UVC steriliser Box that also doubles up as a wireless charger. It is a small box, not larger than a regular tiffin box you would take to work. Inside it is large enough to hold a few things — smartphone, watch, earphones and maybe even a mask. Once you switch it on, the device uses ultraviolet LED to sanitise the stuff inside over the next 8-10 minutes. The company claims it can kill 99.9% per cent of harmful bacteria. All we can see are the LED lights switch off when you open the box in the middles of sterilisation cycle.
The RAEGR ARC 1500 is a UVC steriliser Box that also doubles up as a wireless charger. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
Interestingly, the lid of the box can be used to charge anything that uses the Qi standard. It worked on multiple iPhones, the AirPods Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10. The good thing is it is computability with different devices and not just one wattage. The box has a USB-C port at the back and the charging cycle will depend on the adapter you use for this.
At Rs 3,499, the RAEGR ARC 1500 seems to be worth the money for households with multiple gadgets that have to leave the house daily.

This list will be updated.

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