The FM Covid Diaries Part IX: Spring 2021…With Springtime Comes “Normalcy”
Spring symbolizes a time of rebirth, new beginnings and fresh starts. Springtime 2021 is no different but perhaps a little more urgent for many. This year we are pushing to return to normalcy, which ironically, is getting harder and harder to define as the pandemic crosses the 420-day mark.
Like the budding of flowers from April showers, the United States is showing signs that we may be coming around third and heading home. After 14 months in various levels of lockdowns, signs keep popping up like spring flowers in all their glory. In short, new COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths are dropping, while vaccinations are skyrocketing.
As I type this, at least half of eligible adults in the United States have received one vaccine shot…a real sign that we are seeing efforts to get back to a normal way of life, however we want to define it. But will normal be a “new normal” forevermore?
At the risk of oversimplifying it, the pandemic has taught us, among other things, how to slow down – sometimes to the point of boredom (to which I can attest). Companies have also learned that they don’t need everyone working in their offices to remain productive, resulting in some interesting changes in commercial real estate and office layouts.
But many of us still want “normal” or at least close to it. That is why offices will never ever fully go away. Ultimately, we don’t want to wear masks anymore. Many of us, whether we like it or not, require structure. I know I do.
Five months into the lockdowns, my wife made a joke about me not fully being comfortable working remotely full time – and she was correct. Many of us want to wake up, sneak in a workout and shower before jumping on a train to work in the big city. We want to be able to ride mass transportation, eat inside of restaurants, go shopping, catch a ball game – all without wearing masks. And if getting fully vaccinated is the ultimate solution to achieve some sense of normalcy, then many of us are doing so.
Hence, we seek freedom, we seek life…through vaccinations.
Despite the world remaining very Orwellian in so many ways, numerous signs of normalcy are returning in the NYC tri-state area just as springtime rolls in. The main artery streets of my town are becoming congested again with cars and folks going to and from work. While the NJ trains remain uncrowded in the morning peak times, the trains are fuller in the evening, back to the suburbs.
The local schools have finally reopened for all grades on an alternating, two-half-day weekly schedule. To many parents, it is better than nothing; they’re keeping their fingers crossed that HVAC issues for the district will be resolved over the summer and that school will go back to full time in the fall of 2021. It is refreshing and encouraging to see kids being dropped off or walking to school while on my morning runs, even welcoming the congested traffic as a result.
The NYC streets have more of a buzz to them as more people are returning to work. Many darkened offices are now displaying signs of light and life once more. Indoor dining is still not allowed, but the outside seating areas remain more consistently packed. Times Square has tourists again. It also has Batman, Spider-Man and probably the Naked Cowboy again too.
The Gap store in Times Square has remained an interesting barometer for me. Despite not being a customer, I’ve been watching for months to see when it would reopen, and I was excited to see they are now back open for business.
More visible homelessness and aggressive panhandling exists – a phenomena The Big Apple has not seen since the early 1990s. In my 16 years of commuting via Penn Station, I have never been accosted by a homeless person until recently, insistently demanding that I buy him something to eat. I also had to assist the staff of my local Starbucks with pushy panhandlers who refused to leave the store, even after meeting their demands for food. While I believe this uptick in panhandling is due to the city not being at its typical chaotic bustle, it will fall more in the background once more people return and work in the city.
Internally, my company’s nationwide clinics remain open and are finally offering vaccines to the public. While my company’s NYC headquarters has been open since September 2020, most employees still work remotely. However, we do see more faces working in the office these days.
It is interesting how it has started to feel kind of odd with all the new faces, as I grew accustomed to the largely empty office that I’ve been working in since September. A welcome feeling! But, per the guidance of the HR and Clinical Teams, we are reopening conference rooms, installing desk chairs back in workstations and reinstalling the eating and collaboration areas to full use, while removing COVID signage in many of the public areas.
My company is also throwing an in-person “welcome back” party for the NYC staff later this summer – with entertainment! The only requirement is that those employees not fully vaccinated will have to wear a mask. Otherwise, if you are fully vaccinated then no is mask required, which coincides with the recently updated CDC recommendations reducing mask restrictions in many indoor/outdoor settings.
Slowly but surely, we are getting back to normalcy with baby-steps. A lot of anxiety and frustration still exist, which only time and clear communication will make better. Although at many times it was a bit questionable, my faith in my fellow Americans ultimately remains. I get it; they just want their freedom back, and vaccinations seem to be the best bet for its return.
Paul Haley, CFM, FMP, Facilities Manager at EHE Health, Professional Development Committee Member/ CFM Certified Instructor Candidate, Communications Committee Member
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