Sanitizers, Masks and Distance | "New Normal"

It's been a whole month since my last post, and the situation seems bleak each time I turn on the news. Millions of people around the world have been laid off, leaving them no way to pay their bills or feed their families, so many families have been torn apart by an invisible enemy that we have no idea how to deal with, and it doesn't seem that we will be leaving our houses without masks and sanitizers any time soon.

photo from https://amandala.com.bz/news/third-case-of-covid-19-confirmed/

Business places are reopening to try to calm the cries of the unemployed, but at the same time, we are unsure about the ways they plan to keep their employees safe. The world is under siege and this enemy isn't planning to call a cease fire. COVID-19 has laid waste to our economies and livelihoods, and scientists are scrambling to find a life-saving cure or preventative measure so that we can go back to some state of normalcy.

Belize has gained a sense of normalcy; non-essential businesses and public transportation have been allowed to resume operations, people are able to travel inter-district, public pools, resorts, and open-air, dine-in restaurants are able to resume business as usual. The Belizean public is able to visit the cayes, and rivers to go swimming. However, all these normal things that we are now able to do have come with one condition; we must do them while wearing a mask of some kind. It could be a bandana or t-shirt tied around your mouth and nose, or an actual face mask, but your nose and mouth must be covered.

photo from https://www.dawn.com/news/1542423

When I say that Belize has gained a sense of normalcy, that doesn't mean that things are the 'old' normal. Barbecues, parties, and other large social gatherings of more than 10 people are still prohibited under the State of Emergency, and even though the stay-at-home order has let up, the entire country is still under an 8 p.m. curfew.

Until the virus is subdued by a vaccine, a cure or extensive, strategic lock-down measures (which a Harvard study predicts would take 2 years to be effective), our daily lives are going to be run by measures put in place to keep us safe. Wearing a mask when we come within 2 metres (6 feet) of another person for more than 2 minutes, and frequent hand-washing and sanitizing will become the new normal, even after this pandemic has slowed.

Because the truth is, even when the government inevitably lifts the State of Emergency and we're able to go back out to the nightclubs, and restaurants, and the street vendors are open, these protective measures aren't going to vanish. Retailers and other stores are likely going to keep the "no mask, no service" rule, and hand-sanitizer is going to keep being a handbag commodity. Sanitizing measures on public transportation, in schools and workplaces will probably become more extensive, and I'm certain that more than a few of us are going to be anxious to be around people who we are unsure of where they've been.

photo from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/world/americas/coronavirus-social-impact.html

The future ahead is filled with sanitizers, masks and distance. For as long as this virus is in the world with no real way to combat it, these personal protective measures are our only weapon. The fact is that COVID-19 is deadly, and it's highly contagious. The best way to keep from contracting the virus, is to act as if everyone has it. We have to accept that there isn't much we can do but wait for the scientist to do their thing, and keep up with the protective measures put in place. Wear your masks, keep sanitizer on hand, and if you have the means to, stay at home.

Stay Safe,

Chey.