How will we get back to normal?

I have been thinking about this question for a while. And now both my workplace and swim club are starting to think about it too. My workplace is starting to survey staff about what measures would need to be in place for people to feel comfortable returning. Some things are already there, such as restrictions on the number of people per elevator, and hand wash stations everywhere. But a full return will be complicated. We were in the process of renovating our building to crowd more people in when COVID closed everything down - that entire model will need to be rethought. Our work situation may not be as dire as at my sister’s workplace. She works in a very tall building and says that the calculation there is that with only two people per elevator, it would take 24 hours to get everyone to their offices.

There are big questions about masks and what works best for people too. Some want everyone to wear a mask. Hearing-impaired people struggle to communicate with people in masks. Some people with certain disabilities are doing much better working from home, while some people with ergonomic equipment left behind at the office are struggling. With no schools or daycares open, many parents (especially women, and particularly lone-parent women with young children) can’t contemplate going back to the office. Others - young adults with roommates, older employees with adult kids or a spouse, employees in cramped accommodations with large families  - may be looking forward getting away from people either competing for space to work from home, or just keeping themselves entertained.

We won’t even go down the road of discussing bathroom cleaning protocols, microwave use (or just getting past the people using them because they are in a hallway next to the bathrooms), or whether alternatives to the current parking strategy could be arranged, to encourage people nervous about taking the bus for an hour to get to work when really all they need to do is pop in to check emails or work on documents on systems not accessible from home. Currently, our parking is expensive, and allocated annually based on a combination of things including seniority, salary, and need (ie distance from office and access to public transit). 

Yesterday my swim club had a Zoom call to catch up and start learning about what pool re-opening might look like. Short answer: we still don’t know exactly how it will look at our pool, but count on coming in a bathing suit and likely going home wet. There will probably be an 8 person limit per practice, which will mean higher fees and/or fewer chances to swim each week, though there is a possibility of more swim times because some swims (ie anything other than lane swims) are unlikely to happen for the foreseeable future. It was lovely to see everyone and their cats, dogs, and even a brand-new puppy. It was sad to discover how has been struggling with illness, injury, or unable to swim at all. It turns out I am the most active swimmer in my club right now, because I am getting out at least 4 times a week, on average, and I have been in the water since May. 

All the swimming may finally be starting to pay off. Yesterday I was able to dig in and use my back muscles better than I have in ages. Today I started out a bit sore and tired from that exertion, but suddenly I was going fast! Honestly, it was faster, rather than actually fast. Nonetheless, it felt great to have those bursts of forward motion. I think the Wonder Woman suit may have had something to do with it.