Creating a New Normal in the Era of COVID-19

Image is a picture of a Caucasian woman with white jaw-length hair and wearing glasses and a colorful print surgical mask.

by Peggy Howell

I live in Nevada, a state in the US whose Governor chose to close our businesses and enforce Shelter in Place relatively early on during the COVID-19 pandemic. He got no argument from the gaming industry. Most of the large corporations have casinos in other parts of the world and had already begun shutting down in other places. (I believe Wynn Las Vegas announced closing before the Governor's announcement.)

As a result, our state has had relatively few cases and deaths, and has begun Phase 1 of opening businesses other than casinos. As of Saturday, May 9, 2020, many businesses opened with strict rules in place. Only time will tell if this was the right move for the citizens of Nevada. Since Nevada is mostly supported by tourism, I'm afraid the road to "business as usual" will be a long one.

Now we have to begin creating our new normal. For my sister and I who share our home, things will never go back to exactly the way they were. We are both over 65 with existing conditions that make us part of the high-risk population who will continue to stay home as much as is reasonable and wear protective gear when we do venture out.

I'll admit I don't love face masks because I wear glasses and generate a lot of body heat. My breath fogs my glasses but I read online that turning the mask down one fold inward helps redirect your breath away from your glasses. I tried it recently and it seemed to work. We'll see if that's still true in the triple digit weather that is Las Vegas summers. Plastic/rubber gloves are difficult for me to get on because my hands sweat so much. Nonetheless, I will take these precautions, not because my freedom is being taken away, but because I want to protect myself and others so we can live to prove them all wrong!

Physical distancing (my insurer prefers that to social distancing) is without a doubt the most difficult thing for me personally. I'm a touchy, feely person who loves hugs. My sister and I have made a practice of giving one another a loving hug before saying goodnight each night. Since she has been going out into the world to shop and do our errands, she feels reluctant to hug in the fear of passing something along to me. I can't tell you how much I miss those nightly hugs. It makes me even more aware of those of you who live alone and don't have this privilege. I have been very blessed and am determined that nightly hugs will be part of my new normal.

We will all have to find new ways to live; to live out our hopes and dreams, to live with our fears and demons. We will need all the help we can get from one another more than ever before.

Our new normal will have to be worked out, one day at a time, one situation at a time. One thing I am sure of, we are a creative and resilient people in this community. We will come through this and help make the world more compassionate and caring. We need one another.

Pic of Peggy Howell, a caucasian woman with while hair, wearing a red dress and glasses

Peggy Howell is the Public Relations Director of NAAFA. In that capacity, she writes NAAFA’s press releases and manages the monthly NAAFA Newsletter. She has also been a volunteer blogger for U.S. News & World Report.