COVID19 – the new normal?

As the masks come off, what I look forward to most are all your smiling faces.

Charles F Glassman

Moving forward and working with COVID19 in our local communities and beyond.  What will this look like and what will happen as we all move forward and learn to cope and adapt to the everchanging landscape.

There seems to be a lot of new phrases and words around – all beginning with the word COVID19.  Phrases such as COVID19 Normal, COVID19 Fatigue, COVID19 New World, COVID19 Slumber and the list is growing daily.

Regardless of your views on vaccinations, part of the COVID19 Normal and/or COVID19 New World has rulings on what this looks like for those who are not vaccinated, one vaccination and fully vaccinated.  This places restrictions on what numbers you can have a function and whether you can visit establishments for food and/or entertainment.  I know that this is placing a lot of stress on people who have to view the vaccination status of others entering their place of work, especially when the visitor is confrontational about having to prove this.  Unfortunately, for the staff – they have been given a government directive to follow.

For me on a personal level, there is another level of COVID19 Fatigue.  What would /could COVID19 symptoms look like IF you are double vaccinated?  And the constant worrying about whether you are infecting someone else (unintentionally)!  The discomfort to all of us should we be a direct contact and what stress this places on all that I was in contact to and the impact to the small businesses that I share space with. 

These are some of the worries of our new world.

Since the COVID19 pandemic commenced, both workplaces were/are taking temperatures prior to the workday commencing.  As I was travelling an hour to work, I purchase a temperature gun in order to take my temperature prior to travelling.  This purchase was surreal as I had never owned a temperature gauge in all my years of parenting.  I continue to take my temperature daily as a way of monitoring and part of my own personal COVID19 safe plan.

This week as part of returning to work at a local organisation, I have had rapid tests held daily.  I hadn’t realised how liberating and freeing it really was to know the result instantly.  It was a huge relief knowing that I was safe to those around me. 

Within the clinic, we all practice COVID19 safe practices and ensure that the furniture is placed a safe distance and cleaning occurs between clients. 

Then there are the other factors, can we safely travel and what rulings or barriers are around this.  I have family members who live away and at the moment, their state borders are closed AND if they visit – they need to isolate when they return.  This is added stress and days added to a family visit and shortens and dulls the planned break to celebrate with family and friends in their hometown.

I am wondering what other impacts the COVID19 Pandemic will place on our lives and what the new COVID19 Normal is going to look like as we progress?