Covid Chronicles: The NEW Normal

Spain has been in a state of emergency and quarantine since March 12 due to covid pandemic.  This means that academic institutions were closed and replaced by online, virtual classes. Government has mandated enterprises to practice work from home if possible. All business related activities (tourism, etc) that cannot work from home have been shut down except in the cases of healthcare, drugstores and food/supermarkets. All with the objective to reduce people in the street and stop the spread of coronavirus.  

After 49 days, 7 weeks of quarantine, today, May 2, 2020, the adults and older people, were finally allowed to do some outdoor activity.  There is a gradual process in the exposure of the people to outdoor activities.  This is all aligned with the indicators that the Spain government, together with the WHO and the experts, have defined to limit to the minutest level the covid relapse. 

I am a stickler for routine and compliance and I can safely say that I (and my family) are following the government´s and the experts advice on  social distancing, usage of protective gears and accessories and timeslots to manage the turnout of the people on the street.  These norms are most likely to stay for quite a while until the covid vaccine is available.  These norms are our NEW normal.  Sharing with you our NEW normal as we all combat covid.  

Activity:	Pre-Covid:	Post-Covid/The New Normal:
Casual gear for a quick walk in the park, quick shopping, jog in the park etc.	Autumn and Winter:  Dress, Stockings, Socks, Coat and shoes or boots Spring and Summer:  Shorts, skirts, shirts, sandals, sneakers, slip ons and slippers	Autumn, Winter, Spring Summer:  Gear + Protective gears – mask and gloves Upon return to my home: throw rotective gears, wash hands thoroughly, disinfect  leather bag, grocery cart or reusable grocery bag  (if is cloth, put it in the washing machine), wallet, mobile phone, headset, whiteflower, rosary,   eyeglasses, shoes, etc Remove street clothes in your mudroom or main entrance Take a hot, relaxing shower
Bicycle ride in the park, basketball game in the park, etc.	Take your bike, basketball, etc and upon reaching home, park the bike and store, safekeep the basketball	Upon reaching home before parking  bike, trolley, and storing  basketball:  DISINFECT THEM.
Shopping, buying simple things from your friendly neighborhood stores (drugstores, groceries, flowers, newspapers, magazines, etc) Shopping for whims (bags, clothes, books,  fashion accessories)	Everyone is in the store while patiently waiting for one´s turn	1 – 15 clients inside the store, depending on its size, hand disinfectant and gloves are a requirement prior to entering the establishment Credit card is the promoted, preferred mode of payment Online shopping is a go to option
Church visit and church gatherings	Almost elbow to elbow “closeness” in the pews Completely filled with churchgoers	Still to be formalized and communicated but it is most likely that a 1-2m distance in the pews is going to be observed
Visitors in one´s home	Sky is the limit, after all it is your home	In our home: visitors are requested to leave their shoes in the mudroom/main room
School activities – school, lunch in school canteen, extra curricular activities (swimming, judo, painting, language classes, etc)	Crowded classrooms with approximately 20-30 students depending on the school population Common lunch time with approximately 400 – 1200 students in the school canteen depending on the school population Extracurricular with a minimum of 15 students depending on the theme	Still to be formalized.  I am certain that all parents are anxious to know the NEW normal in the schools.
Office Greetings/introductions	Formal Handshake 2 Cheek Kisses Hugs (I am a big hugger than a 2 cheek kisses person hahaha)	Acknowledgment nod with smiling eyes Beautiful, welcome smile Most likely to maximize work from home scheme to maximize social distancing and conference calls Offices will be redesigned to have at least 1-2m of distance
Public Social Gatherings	Big parties Stadium filled audience watching football games, concerts Movie house, restaurants, bars, museums	Very limited turnout, audience on public events.  The government has announced that no big summer festivities are allowed this summer 2020 to respect and promote social distancing There are machines undergoing tests to validate turnout, headcount of audience on public gatherings such as concerts, etc.  This will ensure that the expected headcount is respected and is compliant with the social distancing norms. This leaves a big impact on the businesses´ profitability
Public Transport	During peak hours: cheek to cheek mode with the other passengers.  Passengers running and pushing to get in the train or subway. Usual sight of passengers coughing, sneezing without protective gears nor usage of hands to cover the mouth. Every quarter or semester thorough cleaning and disinfection of the train and subway tracks and coaches	The usage of mask is mandatory and social distancing must be implemented (the how of this remains to be seen when we are in full force in commuting). Daily disinfection of the train and subway tracks and coaches

Let´s trust the process.  Everything happens for a reason. This too shall pass.  Let´s stay positive.  Take care. 

The New Normal:  massive use of masks, gloves, hand sanitizers and disinfectants. Staple pàrt of our street and casual fashion. 😊😉

 Photo Courtesy of RTVE.ES

Photo Courtesy of Elpais.com