Our current COVID whatever...

"Today, we will hear the fate of our State Fair this year. Has not been cancelled since 1946 during the polio pandemic. My guess is it will be cancelled for COVID. I hope I am wrong."

I have been taken to task more than once for using the term "new normal". So I have searched the landscape for what might be more appropriate. Things are different for sure, so I can't say "our current sameness". True, when we get to the other side of this pandemic, things might go back to the way they were. Or not. Some might never return to the same way. Just like the way 9/11 changed some things in our country, so might COVID. Only time will tell.

Here are the changes in the landscape as I see them:

• Work - At long last, telecommuting has become real. Microsoft is the latest company to tell its employees to work at home if they can. Many who walked out the door of their employer two months ago, will never come back. This might be the start of the long anticipated sea change with our employment. Do more with less. Automate. Prepare for jobs which are not even invented as yet. Work might have some very long lasting implications from this pandemic.
• School - Earlier this week, my wife read the new guidelines for kids over the age of 2 attending some kind of school. It was weird. Masks all day long (on a three year old?), no sharing of toys, bring you own lunch, no more water bubblers to drink out of. I can see a huge spike in home schooling on the horizon.
• Air Travel - Okay. This one is going to suck. As if air travel was not inconvenient before, just wait until the new requirements kick in. Wearing masks, infrequent or no beverage service, different rules for using the onboard rest rooms, longer layovers, fewer direct flights, and on, and on, and on. Driving is looking better all the time.
• City Travel - Like to take the bus or the light rail? More rules coming. Masks will be required at all times. Socially distanced seating will be in place. And don't you dare sneeze - you might get beat up by the other passengers.
• Entertainment - Waiting for the new season to start this fall? Don't hold your breath. Get ready for re-runs. Why? Nobody is filming. Anything. Want to go see a local play instead? Good luck with that one. The Guthrie just laid off most of their staff and there are no plays planned. In NYC, Broadway is shut down. Netflix will do well, however.
• Medical - A friend just had his annual physical. It was done over the phone. He had blood drawn at a location, and the results were sent to his doctor. Then it was a short phone interview, and he was done. Elective surgeries are still a question mark, and yesterday I had my teeth cleaned. Let me just say this - a simple cleaning was like being prepped for surgery. Weird.

There are more, but I will stop here. Today, we will hear the fate of our State Fair this year. Has not been cancelled since 1946 during the polio pandemic. My guess is it will be cancelled for COVID. I hope I am wrong.