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When will we get back to normal after coronavirus?

By Staff, AccuWeather

Published Apr 21, 2020 6:23 PM EST

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On April 17, local authorities in Los Angeles, California, filled this skate park with sand to prevent people from gathering during the coronavirus pandemic.

Many of us had never heard the phrase social distancing before it became synonymous with COVID-19, also known as coronavirus. Since early March, social distancing has become part of our everyday vocabularies and lives. It looks like social distancing may not be distant anytime soon. Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers say there’s a chance COVID-19 could resurge and the virus still poses quite a threat to public health. Measures like stay-at-home orders, restaurants only serving takeout food, school closures, and other forms of social distancing may be the new normal until at least 2022, when a vaccine could hit the markets. The continuation of social distancing could be considered a death blow to people and business owners who are aching to get back to some sense of normalcy in a post-coronavirus world. There are a lot of questions still waiting to be answered. How will schools function? Will restaurants be forced to serve only to-go food for years?Here is how some of the most impacted states are considering getting back to normal while still fighting the social spread of COVID-19.

empty restaurant

Photo by Jason Leung

Jason Leung

1- California, Oregon & Washington 

Restaurants and bars

California Governor Gavin Newsom issued the nation’s first COVID-19 stay-at-home order for California’s 40 million residents on March 18th. His counterparts, Oregon Governor Kate Brown, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee, followed suit just days later and issued the same order for their respective states on March 23rd.  These West Coast states were the first to implement strict social distancing guidance and have seen the spread of coronavirus slow within recent days. The three governors are now banding together to release a plan that would restore some personal restrictions, while reopening some businesses, like restaurants and bars, that were previously deemed as non-essential in the wake of coronavirus. While no exact timeline for reopening the service industry and schools has been released, the state leaders remain optimistic that it could be relatively soon. Governor Newsom outlined what a restaurant reopening may look like, saying that half-full dining rooms would be likely to start as a way to promote continued physical distancing. Before even entering the restaurant, patrons would have to get their body temperature checked. If it’s below a certain threshold, they would be allowed to enter and be seated far away from other people and only order from disposable menus. Restaurant workers would also be practicing stepped up safety measures by wearing gloves and masks. Governor Newsom said this new normal could pave the way for Oregon and Washington to reopen their restaurants to dine-in service at a limited capacity.

School

Photo by NeONBRAND

NeONBRAND

Schools

When California’s 6 million students return to classrooms at some point, they’ll be navigating through a very different world. As part of Governor Newsom’s roadmap for reopening California amid the coronavirus, he outlined significant changes to the school settings. The biggest challenge, according to Governor Newsom, is continuing physical distancing among students and teachers so that no one goes home to infect their families. This coronavirus threat could require schools to stagger schedules, meaning some students arrive in the morning and the rest in the afternoon. School officials and teacher unions will have to sign off on any major change to the school schedule or curriculum. Once class is back in session, school leaders face whether to proceed with school assemblies, gym classes, recess and lunch time -- all scenarios in which students gather in large groups. 

2- New York

nyc restaurant

Photo by Laura Peruchi

Laura Peruchi

Restaurants and bars

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is taking a group approach to getting restaurants crippled by COVID-19 reopened. He is partnering with the governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts for a regional initiative to restart a semblance of a normal life after coronavirus. The governors have not yet provided any details on what social distancing measures would be in place, like limiting the number of patrons in the dining room at once, or when the eateries and bars may start accepting dine-in customers. The coronavirus-related restaurant closures have forced thousands out of the workforce. If you need a job, here are the 12 companies hiring right now during the coronavirus pandemic and how to apply. The federal government is stepping in to help the unemployed and underemployed with stimulus checks ranging from $1,200 for single taxpayers and $2,400 for joint taxpayers. 

school

Photo by Feliphe Schiarolli

Feliphe Schiarolli

Schools

Schools in New York have been closed since March 18th after a mandate from Governor Cuomo. We know they’re closed, but for how long? This is where things get murky. Governor Cuomo and New York Mayor BIll De Blasio are at odds over if and when students should head back to class, and who has the authority to decide. Mayor De Blasio said NYC schools will be closed for the remainder of the academic year and reopen in September, while Governor Cuomo said he doesn’t know when schools will reopen. This back-and-forth between the mayor and governor affects 1.1 million students and their family members, now forced to educate their children from home. 

man with face mask

Photo by Mark Claus

Mark Claus

Once the political fray is cleared, it must be decided which social distancing measures will be implemented to keep students safe and keep the community spread of coronavirus down. Until a plan to reopen our favorite restaurants and bars and our childrens’ schools is announced, it’s critically important to do our parts to stop the community spread of coronavirus and “flatten the curve.” This includes everything from beating boredom by taking a virtual vacation to wearing cloth masks, and making sure we’re easing our childrens’ fears about all of the uncertainty. AccuWeather is committed to providing you with the most accurate and up-to-date information on the fight against COVID-19. We have it covered on all fronts, including an interactive map to track the outbreak and recoveries in your town and an in-depth podcast. 

Related:

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How to talk to your kids about coronavirus
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