The Adventure of the New Normal

Lockdown has now eased in England and it means we can start to do things in places other than our homes for the first time in a while. 

There seem to be two schools of thought towards how we should behave now. Some people seem to assume that the virus has mysteriously vanished and so they can carry on as before, happily wandering around and not even thinking about social distancing. Then there are the people who are scared to go out and are using online shopping unless they absolutely have to go out. 

The latter is understandable and I'm certainly closer to that end of the spectrum myself, but I think we can't stop living forever. I've been thinking about this in the same way you do when you write a risk assessment. For example, the risk of crossing a road is that you can be ploughed down by a truck and die instantly. Now the likelihood of this happening is quite low and you can reduce it further by taking precautions, like using marked crossings and looking both ways. It's now safe to go ahead and cross the road. 

So with the virus, the risk is that you catch a horrible disease that could kill you. We know that the number of cases reduced considerably, so the likelihood that this will happen is now much lower. You can then lower it further by taking precautions like washing your hands, wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing. Now the likelihood is even lower so it's safe to go out in public. 

I find the psychology of not wearing masks odd. You see lots of people wearing them when you go out and about but there's still a high proportion who say no to this. I think of a mask like a seatbelt. They're not very comfortable but we've got in the habit of wearing them because the alternative is being thrown through the window in the event of an accident. Masks are exactly the same idea- they're mildly uncomfortable but worth wearing to prevent a horrific illness and stay alive. There's also an element of selfishness about not wearing one. Though masks do help to stop you from getting the virus, they're more beneficial in stopping you from passing it to other people. You can't assume you don't have it either- we know many people get it and have no symptoms. If you are in a place where you can't maintain social distancing, which is basically any town centre or any building other than your own home, then you really should be wearing a mask. 

The first thing I did that felt normal was have a haircut. We have a mobile hairdresser who comes to the house and we booked in early as her first customers post-lockdown. When I was a student I went far longer without a haircut with long hair being cheap but I was starting to find longer hair this time annoying. I've got used to having short hair and the fact that my hair now grows unevenly makes it worse. Why should my hair still be thin on top but long and out of control at the back and sides? I felt like the stereotypical mad scientist. Having a haircut after all time was great and I certainly felt satisfied afterwards. 

I had lunch at a pub last week for a family birthday and it was lovely to be out again. It was a bit weird with the staff wearing visors and standing some distance away when they wrote down our orders. They also dropped off the food and drinks at a table a short distance away from where we were seated so social distancing could be maintained, meaning we had to get up for every meal, drink and sauce that was delivered. But it felt nice and safe and sitting in a nice pub eating lovely food still very much had its appeal. 

This particular pub is normally a successful one- in 2019 they had a turnover of just under £1million and were hoping that 2020 would be the year where they exceeded the million-pound mark. But six months in and they were flooded three times and closed during the pandemic and are now on the verge of bankruptcy, left completely helpless. I hate to think of the dire status of businesses that weren't as successful before the pandemic. If we all cower at home then what world will we be left to when we finally emerge? Yes, we have to act safely and responsibly but we can do so. 

Wait for it- I have to admit to sneaking in many song titles from Hamilton in this post. Frankly, I wasn't going to miss my shot. I watched the recorded stage version of the hit Broadway musical this week because I try to keep up with what everyone's talking about. I'm not generally a fan of musicals so my expectations were low but I loved it. It's a historical story told in a modern way with the music taking inspiration from hip-hop and rap (though there are still plenty of musical references to show tunes). Hopefully, when theatres are eventually open again I'll be able to be in the room where it happens. The soundtrack has very much become ingrained in my head, hence plenty of references, some more subtle than others.

What comes next? I don't know but it's safe to say I'll be back next week and hopefully you'll be back too. Yes, there's already been two more Hamilton references in this paragraph. I'm not sorry.

Your Obedient Servant,

Dan