If you are looking for a window of the new normal, it is most likely made of plexiglass. Russ Miller, who manages TAP Plastics in San Leandro, California, said the business is booming. "This is absolutely busy. In 40 years of work, I have never seen anything like this."

Miller said that once the number of COVID-19 cases surged, so did the sales of transparent acrylic barriers.

"The first customers were large grocery stores," he said. "The plastic sheet between the customer and the cashier."

Plexiglas barriers have appeared in reception areas, office cafeterias, hair salons, and nail salons. This raises the question: When we all begin to break free from the pandemic, will we find ourselves still separated from each other?

"I did get a contact from a nursery school, and they wanted to put the kids on the floor during the nap time," Miller said.

Reporter Moroka asked: "Does that make you a little sad?"

"I have four children, and this is just a sad problem that the children have to deal with at school. This is not good," Miller replied.

The term "new normal" first appeared in 1918, just after the end of the First World War. In every catastrophic event since then, people have made predictions about how their lives will change.

This is no exception. 

"Every cashier wants protection," Miller said. "Unfortunately, this is part of the new normal. Yes, you know, I am an optimist. I want it to be the same as before."

Adam Alter, a professor of psychology at New York University’s Stern School of Business, said: “Behaviours will change, but their time of change is always shorter than we expected or many people expected.”

He pointed out that the term "new normal" has been used a lot in the past two decades, especially after the 2008 financial crisis. "People say, you know,'This is the new normal. You have to be more careful about your spending.' It also wants to say to consumers,'Banks and other institutions will be forced to perform better in the future. So, if you are lucky, We will avoid such crises in the future.'"

But less than ten years later, the government relaxed major financial protection measures. The change did not last.

Oort said: "I think we will see the same thing after the pandemic. I think when you are in an event, it is concrete, it is very present, it is everything that surrounds you, it occupies All your attention areas are lost. But I think that over time, most of our behavior will return to its original state."

But some changes will persist. Can we remember what it was like to fly before 9/11?  

"We have a lot of different policies," Alter said. "The way we travel has changed, and the way we enter buildings has also changed. Overall, security in all aspects is much stricter."

Not that there are not too many complaints about long lines and invasion of privacy. Alter said that many Americans don’t like the new norms imposed on others: “Many people just say,'You know what? I have a lot of freedom. I'm fine.' I think there are other people in the crowd that are more natural. Refusing to be told almost anything. You can say, “Don’t do this will protect thousands of people,” or, “Don’t do this thing that keeps you safe,’ and they say, “Don’t tell me How to do! This is not what I am willing to accept. '"

Now, it's not that human beings cannot change in a relatively short period of time. Think about it: almost no one owned a smartphone twenty years ago. Now, according to Alter, “75% of U.S. adults say that they can get a mobile phone 24 hours a day without moving their feet-which means that their mobile phone is either under the pillow or on the bedside table, [ Or] They "return to their pockets. "

He said that, on average, Americans spend 15 years looking at their smartphones.  

Rocca said: "If Steve Jobs strode onto the stage with the first iPhone and said,'all of you will buy this device and start using it immediately,'it might not be so good?"

"No," Alt said. "For example, if the government says'everyone must buy equipment,' then the attitude will be very, very, very different."

Regardless of what the new normal will eventually look like, Alter said, some people may actually start to yearn to block their lives.

"Once you are forced to walk around again, I think we will start to stay,'Remember when we can sit on the sofa?'"

Lidia Bastianich, a restaurant owner and cookbook author, said that she hopes the isolated elements of our lives can become part of our new normal: "Airplanes haven't flew so many overhead. Birds are singing. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but I kind of like it. "

She said that this time reminded her of her childhood in Istria, which was once part of Italy. "That's how I grew up, do you know? There is also the season when we eat. And, you know, I do help grandma in the garden harvest potatoes, beans, peas, whatever it is, shallots, whatever the season. "

Although Bastianic hopes these people can continue to cook at home, she is also a businesswoman and has restaurants in New York and other places. She knows that, at least for the foreseeable future, restaurants, bars, and shops can only reopen if social distancing becomes the norm.

"There are already apps for customers to log in to the restaurant's menu and order directly," she said. "The waiter does not have to accept your order. Your order is made in the kitchen. The waiter will only serve the dishes with masks [and] gloves, and change the gloves every time you serve. This is just a precaution that needs to be taken."

"The first time you really dealt with a waiter was when delivering a meal?" Roca asked.

"Exactly. I think communication will happen a lot on the computer."

"Absolutely!" Bastianic replied. "The word'restaurant' comes from the word recovery. For travelers, it is a refuge for people to travel and meet new friends. So I think that restaurants will always be part of society."

"So you heard it here: Will the new normal include restaurants?"

"Yes, absolutely! I have no doubt."

But this new normal might include obstructions for tables made of plexiglass.

Rocca said, "I like to start a conversation with the next table."

"I know. I know that we are social animals," Bastianic said. "I understand, I understand. But you have to calm yourself down! You have to pull it in. So, you have to follow the rules, Mo. You have to follow the rules, do you hear?"

      For more information:

       The story is produced by Mary Raffalli. Editor: George Pozdrek.

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First published on May 31, 2020 / 9:13 AM

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