The new normal

What is normal anymore when a pandemic is raging across the world ? The numbers and statistics of cases and fatalities are overwhelming. It is impossible to process the tsunami of information which comes 24 / 7 from all corners of the globe. 


I can only write at first hand about what is happening in my small corner of south eastern Wales. Restrictions are still in operation here that have been lifted in England.  Here are some examples of how life as changed . 

We cannot yet go inside cafes pubs and restaurants to eat and drink. Instead an alfresco culture has sprung up where possible. The weather has been largely favourable to this in the spring and summer months since lockdown. Everywhere chairs and benches are filled with groups enjoying a coffee, a beer , a pizza or a pie. Social distancing is in use so that we sit at a distance from people we don't know.  We have become accustomed to sanitizing our hands on entering a café to place  or collect an order and to being served by a masked assistant from behind a perspex screen.  Technology has come to the fore and one chain in our area uses an app which is connected to the customer's bank account and is used to place an order. In return the customer gets a receipt and a collection time. We enjoyed coffee and pains au chocolat in Porthcawl in this way yesterday.



Hairdressers and barbers  have recently reopened after a lockdown of 4 months. The  number of clients  in the salon has to be curtailed so that they are not in close proximity to each other. The personnel must wear personal protective equipment and the customers are usually required to wear masks. No more magazines to peruse for fear of infection. Between  clients sanitizing of surfaces has to be carried out. The financial fallout from this is that the price of a haircut has increased by as much as 
50 % .





   
MASKS are on the verge of becoming compulsory in public places in Wales. From today they are mandatory  on public transport. They are alien to our self image I think  and they are such a powerful signal that everything is NOT  normal.  Hence we have been reluctant to wear them voluntarily. However if  we remember  that we are trying to protect others from ourselves by wearing masks  we can  at least be assured that we are working for the greater good. 



Masks  on the metro.     


How long before things return to the way they were pre covid 19 ?
This year, next year, sometime, never ?



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Events take us by surprise

Image
I have been reading about the life of David Lloyd George and also of  prime Minister Herbert Asquith and members of the government to which Lloyd George belonged. I have read extracts from the diary of Margot Asquith wife of the Prime Minister as war broke out. When the First World war or Great war as it became known then, was declared on August 4th 1914 the announcement came as a great surprise to many people. Until then the attention of the public and press had been centred on Ireland and the question of granting home rule to that country. The idea of joining all of Ireland as an independent state was strongly contested by many people in Ulster and the militant sections  began arming to fight against it . The Irish nationalists then prepared to fight their corner. The expectation was that civil war would break out. As a result of the war the issue was  put on the back burner by the government not to be resolved for several years and not really resolved then. ...
Read more

What 's in a name ? SCHIZOPHRENIA

Image
HELLO WORLD. This is my first blog. For my first post I am writing about a subject very close to my heart - SCHIZOPHRENIA  and how it is understood by the general population. I'm trying to set aside some myths and give you some truths. Hope you read on and tell others about this blog. How do you react to the word schizophrenia? Does your face immediately take on a wary,  apprehensive   expression ? Do you brace yourself mentally for what is  to  come next ? Do associations rush into your consciousness ? Words like violence,  paranoia  and murder hover in your  thoughts. How have you arrived at this state of mind? Media coverage  It can only be that you have  read and  heard stories in the media about individuals  suffering  from schizophrenia  who have committed serious crimes resulting to bodily harm to another. In fact,  if you stop to think about it , such reported crimes are rare. There may...
Read more

A production line for vaccinations

Image
 Today I attended my local GP surgery for my annual vaccination against influenza , the 'flue jab as we call it. As a reluctant member of the over 65 club I am entitled to this. So I had phoned for an appointment earlier in the week and was given a 9.10  a.m slot for myself and my husband.  As we drove up to the building we could see lots of people arriving at the door and being sheperded in  in fairly quick succession. A security  guard in a yellow tabard and black mask stood at the entrance. Goodness knows why they were expecting trouble.  The whole process was slickly organised like a military operation.  A masked lady at the door asked if we were well that is free of covid symptoms. Then we were each  directed to a different desk where we were asked our names and date of birth then given a white paper form with that information on it. We then went in different  directions. I followed stars on the floor around the waiting room and down the...
Read more