Chapter 249: heading towards beginning the start of life Post Corona

Corona has arrived, hung around a while and changed our community. Are these changes going to remain post Corona?

We are told we are beginning to start to enter post Corona land.

Restaurants have re-opened. Open for the first ten customers.  Before Corona when we were ready, we turned up and took a seat. Nowadays we rang and we were told we had to arrive at 7:00 pm. We arrived and most of the tables are marked as reserved.

The waitress said: Don’t sit at reserved tables. They are not reserved for you. Or anybody else. 

Nobody was expected. Social distancing meant the tables were to remain empty. There was no atmosphere or buzz that came from being crowded amongst others in a popular restaurant. We had to generate all the buzz at our table. By ourselves.

The food was identical to previous food. We sat as normal and the waitress said: Order as normal and your food will be brought to your table as normal. We sat and watched the kitchen. The chiefs were as busy as normal. Busy packing bags for uber eats. Not as normal.

Grandma told the grandkids: Don’t run around and touch anything. You will have to wash your hands. Don’t touch that railing. When we entered the restaurant, we were not given a simple easy way of washing our hands. There was no change from past practices.

Post Corona I imagine restaurants will provide hand sanitizer or bowls or paper towels to clean our hand when you enter.

During Corona we have eaten healthier. We have eaten more food prepared and cooked at home. It is possible that not everyone has gone the same way. Maybe some people have eaten more ready prepared dishes. Post corona will our community eat healthier?

During Corona we have also eaten more home-grown food. More herbs or vegetables from our garden. During Corona more people have planted and tended vegetable patches. Will this trend continue. Post Corona will people eat more healthy, organic, seasonal home-grown food?

Social tennis: We have two courts. The law said we had to limit the number to ten people. By magic ten people turn up to play tennis.  We played tennis as normal. No change except we didn’t shake hands at end of each set. Hand sanitizer was provided to clean hands. Post Corona I expect social tennis to be very similar to pre Corona.

Corona has resulted in law changes. The laws and rules have been made up as we go. The new laws haven’t fitted correctly. They have all resulted in anomalies, exceptions, unintended consequences and routs.  Every country has rushed through different laws and different ways of defeating Corona. Every country has also a plan to fight the economic slump.  We will only know which way is the best after the event. Post Corona academics will analyse all the data and decide the best way to defeat Corona. At the moment we are all part of a real time experiment involving different countries and different laws.

Facebook is a global conglomerate. During Corona Facebook has helped us become more local. Connect with our Neighbours. Connect with people in our apartment. We are suddenly sharing jokes and posts on Facebook with neighbours we are stopped from meeting.  Corona and Facebook has strengthened local communities. Brought people together. Will this continue post Corona?

Our newspaper is full of articles written by single issue groups saying how their issue now needs more money because of Corona. I can’t blame any group for looking at Corona from their point of view.  Anyway, that’s what they do. For example:

1: Post Corona people will want to continue social distancing. They will avoid public transport. The roads will be busier. We need more money to build better roads and bridges.

2: Post Corona more people will work from home. Working at home leads to less traffic and an increase in domestic violence. We need more money to combat domestic violence.

3: During Corona homeless people are suffering worse than anybody. They can’t socially isolate. Give me more money to build appropriate housing.

4: Tourism has evaporated during Corona. Air B@B properties are now siting empty. We have no alternative but long term leases for previously homeless at much cheaper rents. Post Corona we need money to stimulate tourism.