Late in 2020, some people talk about “getting back to normal.” The pandemic has changed so many things, and everyone is eager to return to how it was before. However, as long as Covid-19 is still with us, we must continue taking the necessary precautions.
There are ways to do the things you need to while still keeping yourself and your family as safe as possible. Let’s talk about how you conduct yourself as we continue waiting for medical science to produce a vaccine.
Travel Precautions
For some people, getting back to normal won’t finish until individuals are ready to fly again. That’s because, before the pandemic, you might have:
- Flown for work
- Flown to visit relatives
The airline industry has lost millions this year, and some experts feel it won’t recover till 2023 or even later. At the moment, many still feel like flying is not safe enough, even if you wear a mask and keep an empty seat between yourself and the next passenger.
You should only fly if you feel you have no other choice. Weigh the potential consequences before you take any trips. If you do fly, make sure to frequently use hand sanitizer and keep your mask on for the entire flight.
You can drive to your destination if there is somewhere you have to be. It might take longer, but it’s safer. You might also cancel the trip entirely if you feel it’s not urgent enough for the energy and time you’ll have to put into it.
Work Precautions
You should also maintain work precautions. If you can stay home and do your job, you should do that. The exceptions might be if you work:
- In the retail industry
- In security
- In the food service industry
- In the medical industry
You can’t prepare food when you’re sitting at home, nor can you run a cash register. You can’t perform surgery on a patient without physically being there.
If you have to come to work, you should maintain the same precautions as when you travel. Wear your mask at all times, use hand sanitizer, and stay socially distant from others when you can.
If you have a job where you can work from home, make sure your boss lets you do that. If they’re demanding that you return to work, but you know you can do your job from home, you’ll have to consider whether you want to keep that job.
Looking for a new position during a pandemic is not ideal, but you don’t want to catch Covid-19 because of an obstinate boss. It’s too dangerous, both for your family and yourself.
Consider Whether to Send Your Kids Back to School
It’s the fall semester, and you’ve probably figured out whether to send your kids back to school. They might be doing in-person classes with masks and social distancing, or they might be doing desktop or laptop distance learning.
If your local schools are not allowing in-person learning, that solves the dilemma for you. You can keep your kids at home and let them learn online.
If you can’t get internet access, you’re in a more challenging spot. The best you might do is to get school district study materials and lesson plans and teach them yourself.
This is not ideal since you don’t want your child to fall behind. However, you have to make the most of what is a difficult situation.
Even if your school district is letting kids come back, you might not want to do it if you have an individual in your home with an immunocompromised condition. Even if they show no symptoms, your child can bring Covid-19 back into the house with them and pass it on to the rest of you.
Have a Staycation
It’s probably best that you don’t take any exotic vacations right now. Many countries have travel bans in place anyway, and we’ve spoken about flying dangers.
If you have the money for a vacation, and you can take time off, you can do a staycation instead. Maybe that means hanging out with the family and doing some theme nights with ethnic food and movies. Perhaps you can all take turns picking an inside activity.
It’s not glamorous, but it’s safe. It’s a much better option than heading for a different state or city. You don’t know how well they’re handling Covid-19 there. In some cities and states, the infection numbers are rising again.
Stay Home for the Holidays
Many people won’t like this next one, but you should stay home for the holidays. Thanksgiving is coming up, as are Christmas and Hannukah for those who celebrate them. This is when many families traditionally get together to see the parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, etc.
Unfortunately, while you all miss each other and probably want to gather together very much, it just isn’t safe. If you visit the grandparents and infect them, you’ll never forgive yourself if they die. Remember that older individuals are in a higher risk group.
You can use social media to stay in touch during the holiday season. You can also use apps like Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime. This is a way you can visit your loved ones on the special days.
You can still have all the food and festivities you usually do. You just won’t be together while you do it. At least you can send each other gifts.
None of this is easy, and pandemic exhaustion is real. Many people desperately want things to return to normal. That will probably happen at some point, but the reality is that we are not quite there yet.
Some people will discount all this advice and do some of these things anyway. If you do, you might turn out fine.
If you act recklessly right now, though, you’re rolling the dice. It’s far better to act sensibly in all life’s areas until there’s a vaccine and cities and states loosen restrictions.
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