Those of us who are ready for life to get back to normal -- not some bastardized version of a "new normal" where everyone wears masks and everyday activities are severely curtailed or restricted -- have every reason to be pessimistic.
There seems to be no end in sight for government mandates that limit life. Restaurants and bars are restricted in the number of customers they can serve. Executive orders limit the number of people who can attend private gatherings in homes or on private property. Public schools are "encouraged" to be closed, and those whose local governing bodies choose to reopen are threatened with retribution from the state. Some states force you to stay home for two weeks if you travel from certain other states. Only a precious few states, like South Dakota, are actually bastions of freedom in the "land of the free and the home of the brave."
But even if every onerous, overreaching government restriction was lifted tomorrow, is there any path to normal?
Government decrees might disappear, but businesses can and will impose restrictions. For instance, Kentucky's limits on the number of people from one family who can shop at a store have been repealed, but some retailers are still not letting more than a certain number of people inside their businesses at one time. It's not uncommon to have to stand in line outside at the Jackson Walmart, and to be let inside the store only after someone leaves.
And it continues. Some businesses require masks of all customers and they don't even recognize the enumerated exceptions contained in executive orders. Hours of operation are severely curtailed. Walmarts that used to be open 24 hours per day now close at 8:30 p.m. Many sporting events don't allow spectators, with the postponed Kentucky Derby being the latest one to ban fans. Restaurants take your temperature before you're seated. Aisles are marked "one way" and "do not enter." You have to wait in your vehicle before you're called in to see the veterinarian or have your hair cut. Some businesses don't accept cash and require you to pay with a card or an app on your phone. Colleges threaten students who attend parties with punishment, and are planning to limit attendance at football games and prohibit tailgating. Funerals are limited to only the closest relatives. Churches continue to remain closed to in-person worship and instead do online or drive-in services.
This isn't normal. None of it is normal. And it shouldn't be acceptable.
Not during any of the previous pandemics (H1N1 swine flu, ebola, SARS, and the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak that is most often compared to the current situation) were these extreme measures put in place for an extended period of time. How many months are we now into of what was supposed to be "15 days to flatten the curve?"
And what happens the next time we get another severe outbreak of the seasonal flu, when the "experts" get it totally wrong and the annual vaccine proves to be worthless, as it often does? Are we going to have to undergo all of this all over again?
Life isn't without risks. You put yourself in danger every time you leave the house, you get into an automobile, or basically do anything else other than exist in a bubble. Most of us realize that and are willing to accept the risks to live life normally. Those who have fears take outsized precautions to keep themselves safe. They don't go out to eat, or go to the movies, or go to church. Kudos to them. If that's how they want to live; if that's what they want to be normal; then no one is stopping them.
But those of us who truly want to live normally don't have that option. And those who want to earn a living still don't completely have that option. There's no place for a waiter or waitress in a restaurant that only offers carryout service. You can't take tickets or sell popcorn if the sporting venues and theaters are closed.
Are we waiting for a day that will never come? Is society to be forever altered because of the fears of some? It's looking increasingly as if that's going to be the case. As the government keeps extending mandates and telling us we may need to wear masks for the foreseeable future, and as businesses don't relax their voluntary restrictions when the government finally does take its foot off their necks, normal life appears to be slipping farther from our grasp with each passing day.
