This Was “Normal” Before The Pandemic?

We are hitting some sort of normalcy now after a few years of the Covid-19 pandemic. With that new normal comes precautions that people follow to help with public safety. Whether someone believes in the severity of the virus or not, it is still affecting people if they get it or if they suffer from long covid.

Even if we are relaxed about things now, there are things that we used to see as normal, now are practices that we think twice about.

The thought never crossed my mind on doing some of these things, I've never had to travel for work, nor did I get sick often, I stay pretty health just as before, but now i just think a minute about some of these activities.

Cleanliness

That headline might convey that I've lived a filthy non-sterile life before covid, but I assure you hand washing was in place. What I'm talking about are more communal things like sharing cups, shake hands with 100 people, kissing a public monument, and using bowling balls and other egregiously public objects and then eating afterwards, as well as blowing out candles on a cake. Before the pandemic, people also stood right on top of one another in lines, the six foot rule has brought happiness for me as people stay out of my bubble for the most part.

The worst thing I can think of is people repeatedly handling cash and never washing up which was something I was guilty of as a younger person working in the food industry. I think at it now and cringe.

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Work and school

Before the pandemic people went to work and school absolutely sick. If one missed days, you would either be behind in studies or possibly looking for a new job. I was reading about law school students from before the pandemic, there was a rule about missing days in school. If you missed a certain number of days, one wasn't able to even take the exam. That prompted people to come in after surgeries or just full blown sick.

Before Zoom was a thing, people would often rack up their sky miles going to frivolous meeting across the country and the world, As well as commuting miles for a job we know know we can work at home.

via GIPHY

I am aware that we are pretty much back to doing all of the above, but with developments in way we understand of how viruses attack, we have the tools to help us enjoy interaction with one another and stay smart about cleanliness and mental health.