Not yet back to “normal”? Way past the “new normal? Get ready for “the next new normal”
Adjusting to a new way of life in order to reduce the risk of spreading the disease from everyday activities has now been the “new normal” since the start of the pandemic. In early summer as infection rates started to slow down and vaccination rates increased, signs of optimism for a speedy economic recovery has been talk everywhere. With the TSA reporting millions of travelers now going through airports as means for travel, countries, cities and even small towns everywhere have started to welcome back tourism. Businesses of all types have started to reopened and people are slowly coming back to work, ( Well kind of…. more on that later). For the most part, people are trying their best to get back to more “normal” daily routines. Or are we? Life, as we move forward, is proving to be anything but normal, and in reality, were just preparing for the “next new normal.”
From my perspective, it feels as if we’re in a little bit of pandemic limbo.
After a long winter isolated indoors with springtime brought with it, the first signs of “normalcy” as small changes came about no matter where you live, as more people got the vaccine. All remote schooling went hybrid, business started to reopened in limited capacity, and the majority of people continued to follow mask mandates and distancing protocols. By early summer, different states started to remove or lift Covid-19 restrictions altogether. With summer in full swing, people are out and about and about visiting and traveling to reconnect with loved ones or themselves. However, just as the world starts to embrace getting back to familiar routines, the Delta variant is causing concerns as experts start to predict that the fall season will see a resurgence of Covid-19 cases. The facts are that for possible herd immunity to be achieved, a country would need to have between 70%-90% of the total population vaccinated. That is assuming herd immunity is even possible. As of this post’s publishing, the total tally of fully vaccinated people in the United States is only 49.8%. In addition, yesterday the CDC reversed its indoor mask policy, and today reversed its outdoor mask policy.
If anything, we are way past the “new normal” and are well on our way to discovering the “next new normal”. Futurists predict that unless the Biden administration accelerates the number of vaccines per day, we won’t reach herd immunity in the U.S by fall. Dr.Fauci recently made a statement that we would see “normal” life return well into 2022. The pandemic might be better, but it is not over. Rising cases in nearly half of the U.S states due to the Delta variant is currently the enduring threat. There is no set-in-stone moment when the pandemic will be over, only better controlled due to the wider availability of the vaccines.
We can see the light at the end of the tunnel but were just not there yet. We all need to continue to adapt and adjust to the world and the changes around us staying healthy and safe.
Where are you in this journey, Embracing old routines? Adapting to “new normal”? Curious as to what’s to come with “next new normal”?
Until next Time ~ Ayri
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