What is the “New Normal” Gonna Look Like?

I was just reading an article about how Six Flags is implementing some "new normals" when they officially open back up to the public.

You'll have to schedule your arrival in advance, you'll have your temperature taken upon arrival, and mobile food ordering is the new standard.

It got me thinking about what this "new normal" is and whether it's here to stay.

COVID-19 has woken us up. What used to be a very personalized way of communicating and interacting with people has now become taboo. No more handshakes, high fives, or fist bumping. That's just become way to risky in the current "social distancing" way of doing things. You just don't know who is infected and with what, so better safe than sorry I guess.

I'm not just talking COVID-19 here, I'm talking about anything that can be passed on to someone via touching, talking, or just being in a six foot radius of someone else. Lots of people are subject to infections just from simple face-to-face communications. So this "new norm" can certainly benefit them and maybe even the rest of us. Safety first!

So when will we get back to the "old normal?" Humans are creatures of habit, and forming new habits can be difficult. In most cases, we revert back to our usual routine, almost without notice. Ask any former smoker how often they reached for an after dinner cigarette before realizing they no longer smoke. Or even now when you see somebody you haven'y seen in a while, the first reaction may be to reach out and shake their hand while standing two feet apart from each other.  It's the way we've always done things, right? The thought of changing for the greater good is great and everything, but how long till we are back to the way it used to be?

There are some good things that have come out of all of this, though. Like ordering alcoholic drinks to go while taking advantage of curbside delivery from restaurants and liquor stores. The six feet rule when you're in a grocery store. There are a couple of changes right there I'd like to keep. But as creatures of habit, it may be only a matter of time before things are back to being the way they always were.

I din't even mention how different sporting events are going to be, that'll be for a later article.