Wednesday, June 10, 2020

When Can We Get Back to Normal?

That depends. Some of the changes we’ve become accustomed to may be with us as long as the threat remains. But some may be with us permanently

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By Jim Oostenbrink, Regional Director, Kelowna Member Centre

We are now into our fourth month of social distancing, mask wearing, hand washing, and other safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Many Canadians are eagerly looking forward to when federal and provincial governments will ease restrictions and provide new guidelines for returning to a sense of normalcy post-COVID while still staying safe amid the ongoing threat of the virus.

We all want to be safe and responsible, but with all the different approaches across the world, we are left wondering, what is the best approach? How fast or slow should new measures be implemented?

In our workplaces, the key question is, how will we balance safety and health going forward? The answer might look a lot different depending on your own work situation.

• If you work in healthcare, you will likely have to adopt more stringent safety measures on a permanent basis.

• If you work in retail or interact with the public on a regular basis, new structural safety precautions may be permanent.

• If you work in construction, expect job sites to maintain much better sanitization protocols. Vehicles might be outfitted with passenger barriers.

• When CLAC’s member centres reopen, they will include physical distancing requirements, regular sanitizing, and Plexiglas barriers to safeguard the health of our employees and members.

Some of these increased safety standards will be very welcome, while others may be met with some resistance. One thing is for sure though: we will all have to adapt.

But for how long? How long before we can relax the restrictions? The answer to this question is . . . it all depends.

• Depends on what the government health departments have to say.

• Depends on how long the curve has flattened and the number of new cases. (Government officials in New Zealand have recently stated they have had no new cases for several weeks now, and they are open for business again. Other countries have not been as fortunate.)

• Depends on concern or worry about a second or even third wave of infections.

• Depends on when a vaccine is discovered, properly tested, and produced in sufficient quantities to immunize the majority of the population.

Many people do not like the new restrictive safety protocols and think they are overdone. Others feel that not enough is being done to safeguard them and their loved ones.

One thing that we can be certain about is that the days ahead will continue to challenge all of us for some time until we are certain the threat of the virus has been contained. Until then, we will likely have to continue to deal with the restrictions and enhanced safety protocols when we work, when we shop, when we gather at large events, and when we interact with each other on a close basis.

Once this pandemic has passed, we will have a lot questions as to what normal life will look like.

• Will handshaking be replaced by elbow touching? I certainly hope not.

• Will face masks become a permanent requirement to work or visit at a care home?

• Will physical distancing become permanent?

• Will we be afraid to hug others outside of our immediate family? (Even though my colleagues know I am not a hugger.)

This global health pandemic has left all of us with many more questions than answers. We’ve never experienced anything like it in our lifetime. It is truly a historic event that we will all remember—and hopefully never have to go through again.

When Can We Get Back to Normal?

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