I envision permanent changes in how we live. For starters, the disinfecting and sanitizing that go on will likely continue, both at home and in public places. And that's fine with me. Better too much of it than too little. I think we had gotten a bit lax with keeping public places clean. It's good to have the reminder that public bathrooms in workplaces, restaurants, malls and other places need to be cleaned regularly. Ditto for elevators, stairwells, escalators--any of the places where people are constantly touching buttons, railings, etc. My workplace had cut back on office cleaning each day to save money; the cleaning lady was coming in a few times a week. Now I see her there each day if I have gone into work a few days in a row, as has happened during the past few weeks. She cleans the hallway floors each day as well.
Working from home a few days a week will be the new normal for many people who are able to do their work from home (like me). I go into work when I need to, either for a small meeting or to update files on my workplace server. I will alternate between home and office for the time being. As I've written many times, I enjoy working from home, as long as I have access to necessary email accounts and files. It hasn't been a problem thus far. The only thing I really dislike are zoom/skype meetings; mostly because there are technical problems, without fail. Someone's microphone or video or both doesn't/don't work, or the video is squiggly, or the sound breaks up. An optimal way to communicate? No. I'd rather have a socially-distanced meeting in a large room, and have said as much to those who arrange meetings.
Wearing masks will probably also be something that most people will incorporate into their daily lives. I took one of Oslo's trams yesterday for the first time in ages. Masks are required on board all buses, trams, and trains. Most people comply with the guidelines; some few don't, as always. I carry a cloth mask and disposable masks in my backpack with me at all times, as well as hand disinfectant. I find the cloth mask more comfortable to wear and easier to breathe with, so that's my go-to mask. The disposable ones are ok but a bit more stifling. The nice thing with cloth masks is that they are not disposable, they can be washed with soap and dried and used over and over. That appeals to the environmentally-conscious part of me. This pandemic has been terrible for the environment; just take a look around the next time you are at a bus or tram stop, at all of the garbage cans overflowing with disposable masks. Ditto for the single-use wipes at home. I try to limit their use, but it's difficult at times because they're so accessible. Not a good excuse, I know.
Stores and restaurants in Oslo have been good about social distancing; chairs and tables are placed at a good distance from neighboring tables. Plexiglass shields have become commonplace to separate shoppers from cashiers. Supermarkets had already gone over to checkout scanners a few years ago, so the stores have placed plexiglass shields between each of the scanners to protect shoppers. Screens are wiped down regularly. Hand disinfectant bottles are placed strategically at each checkout scanner. and at the entrances and exits of most supermarkets and stores. It all works, and it is interesting to observe what we can actually get used to without too much moaning and groaning.
Visits to doctors and dentists have not been a problem. Both doctors and dentists have their procedures for how they receive patients, and following them is not a big deal. If such procedures continue even after the pandemic is over, it will be fine with me. We are all more attentive now to good hygiene in our homes and public places; as I mentioned above, many places had become lax when it came to good hygiene, in order to save money.
I have not gone to the movies since before the pandemic started. I miss doing that. The theaters are open again and are advertising films and encouraging us to go to the movies. So I will. I'll have my mask with me and I'll sit where we're told to sit. Fine with me. The same with churchgoing; churches reopened at the end of the summer after having been closed since mid-March. Their procedure for attendance is to dispense tickets for the masses. I haven't been back yet, but I'm planning on it. I don't know what traveling will be like by next summer; I'm hoping to be able to get to the States for a wedding, among other things, next July. We'll see. I'm crossing my fingers that it all works out.
So little by little, life returns to some semblance of normalcy. Albeit a different normalcy--the new normal, which if followed for the next few years, will become just normal. Humans can adapt; we do so in order to carry on with the business of living.
