THE SO CALLED “NEW NORMAL”

Heraclitus once said, “The only constant in life is Change”. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life as
we know it. This pandemic resulted in a significant change in our everyday lives, changes that have often
occurred rapidly and abruptly. Accepting that a new reality can come with new aspirations is one of the
most crucial matters you could do because this pandemic has caused an extraordinary change in our
way of life. And as society re-establishes itself, there will be limitations, and we will be confronted with
radical changes in our manner of living. The change to the new normal can be smooth at times, but it
can also be bumpy at other times. So, what does the so called “New Normal” look like?

A new normal is a current situation, social custom, or other practice that differs from what has  typically
been experienced or observed but is expected to become conventional or typical. In this situation,
masks and gloves may be customary, depending on where in the world you live. Meanwhile, public
transportation appears to be very different, with passengers wearing masks and gloves and social
distancing in place. Dinning out has also changed in many ways. Many restaurants and cafes can only
serve takeout at the moment, but even though they reopen for us to dine-in, there would likely be
restrictions on how many people may dine-in, social distancing will be in place, and shared plates may
disappear for a quite some time. Education as we know it has also undergone a drastic change. During
school closures, all face-to-face lessons were cancelled, compelling many institutions to immediately
transition from face-to-face in-person learning to completely online lessons. Work has also changed as a
result of social distancing. Many of us began working from home in order to limit travelling  on public
transportation and gathering in groups at the workplace. Zoom meetings have even been the new
normal for us. With the restrictions loosening, we may return to working in shifts at the workplace or
welcome working from home on a more frequent basis. Healthcare services was the most affected
sector during the pandemic and as the need for immediate and accessible healthcare arose, healthcare
services turned to digital solutions such as telemedicines.