I keep hearing people say, “Once we get back to normal.” This really bothers me, because it seems like that implies they want to forget this ever happened and go back to the way things were — which in turn drives them to act more and more “normal” when it’s not immediately in front of their faces. (For example, everyone who started to go to bars as soon as the state began to reopen.) How do public health departments deal with changing the way the general public thinks? We all came around to seat belts and non-smoking bars somehow.
Chris Kemp, M.S.:
Public health departments can only communicate the risk, suggest the appropriate ways to respond, and hope that people comply with the recommendations. In this case, public health departments have been undermined at the federal response, and often by political leadership at the state level, too.
Jack Lipton, Ph.D.:
Public health departments attempt to communicate best practices for staying infection free, but government agencies are not the agents of change. People are. We need to accept that there will be a new normal. As an example, Dr. Fauci said he thinks shaking hands should stop — forever. Do you wonder, throughout human history, how many people have transmitted an infection by handshake, and how many people have died as a result?
Normal behavior is, by definition, the thing that most people do. Therefore, we are now in need of a new set of normal behaviors. How we greet each other, our hygiene, how close we stand to each other, and our wearing of PPE, for example. A new normal means changing some — not all — of our many, many behaviors. Yes, change can be uncomfortable. However, if we do not adapt to our new circumstances, people will die. The trade-off isn’t so significant — in fact, I would urge everyone to really think about this any time they encounter someone who pushes against these simple changes. Recall the many times we as a people have had to change several significant behaviors to accommodate wars, depression, technology, and so on. “Normal” does not grant us a lack of change — change will happen in some way. Developing a new normal gives us some measure of control over how that change happens. These adaptations are not hard, but they require making thoughtful choices.
I recently had someone reflexively reach out to shake my hand. If I had only reacted and hadn’t thought about it — if I hadn’t made a conscious choice to air-elbow-bump instead — I would have been perpetuating a behavior that needs to end. If I wear a mask to a market and other people aren’t wearing theirs, I might feel foolish for wearing mine. However, if I take my mask off, another person might feel foolish for keeping theirs on. I am then contributing to a normal that values remaining unchanged even if it means people die because of it.
Our state recently began its reopening process, and I am angry beyond measure when I see masked workers at restaurants, bars, and markets, while the patrons choose not to wear masks. I’m sick of being stuck at home, too; I want the economy to come back, too. However, the solution is not to “finally get back to normal.” If you go out, do it making conscious choices that create a new normal. Quit shaking hands. Wear your mask. Stay six feet apart. Your actions cascade others’ actions, and while they may seem small to you in the moment, every new behavior we can offer to one another means fewer people suffer the unimaginable, preventable change that comes from the death of someone we love.
Resources:
Felicia Wu, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, explains the importance of adhering to public health guidelines: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/msu-public-health-expert-discusses-practices-for-mitigating-spread-of-novel-coronavirus