{"id":9539,"date":"2020-09-11T17:26:11","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T16:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cassandravoices.com\/?p=9539"},"modified":"2020-09-11T17:26:11","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T16:26:11","slug":"the-new-abnormal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/casswp.eutonom.eu\/index.php\/2020\/09\/11\/the-new-abnormal\/","title":{"rendered":"The New Abnormal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pandemic has changed life as we know it. We are dealing with the \u2018New Abnormal\u2019 where certain aspects of life, such as our caf\u00e9 and pub culture<\/span><\/a> are no longer viable. Alas, many places have closed down permanently due to reduced customer footfall and loss of incomes.<\/p>\n

So, what does this mean for our social lives? \u00a0As social animals we need a certain level of sociability for our mental wellbeing. This teaches us valuable life lessons for survival in different situations. We socialize to meet new people for friendship or to meet partners. Socialising differs from age group to age group. Caf\u00e9s and pubs are the most common areas across generations in most countries.<\/p>\n

In Ireland, caf\u00e9s and coffee shops now operate on a socially distanced basis. Many have developed outdoor seating, which is a fantastic addition on those rare occasions of sunny weather in Ireland.<\/p>\n

For the younger generation in pre-Covid<\/a><\/span> times, socialising on weekends meant pre-drinks in someone\u2019s house and then piling into a taxi or bus to get into town. The bars and clubs would be heaving, and you\u2019d brush by strangers on the way to buy a drink. When it got warm, you\u2019d nip outside to the smoking area to cool down and have a chat with friends even if you didn\u2019t smoke.<\/p>\n

The nights out were great. But waking up the following day at least \u20ac40 down and a pounding headache, you would have to wonder, was it really worth it? Could there be a better way to socialize?<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s pandemic circumstances we have an opportunity to find other ways of remaining sociable, yet safe from contagion. Phase Four of the lockdown easing measures involving the reopening of pubs has been put on hold until the 18th<\/sup> of September<\/span><\/a>. So for now we still have to book a table to have a meal if we want a drink for the allotted time, give or take.<\/p>\n

It is easy for some premises that already served food. But it is a bit of a pain knowing that you\u2019re spending more than you want, all for the sake of a socially-distanced drink.<\/p>\n

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Temple Bar, Dublin. 27 March 2020. Daniele Idini\/Cassandra Voices<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chance encounters with new people will be unlikely as we\u2019re not meeting in big groups anymore. This goes for house parties, pubs, and venues as a result of the current regulations. Indoor gatherings and events are limited to six people from no more than three households. Private outdoor gatherings are limited to fifteen people<\/span><\/a>. The exception is for weddings which are allowed a maximum of fifty people.<\/p>\n

German Approaches<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It seems as if Germany is in two minds over how to move forward with a social experiment that went ahead in Leipzig<\/a><\/span> on the 22nd<\/sup> of August and an anti-restriction protest being witnessed in Berlin at the start of the month.<\/p>\n

The experiment equipped 4,000 pop music fans with tracking gadgets and bottles of fluorescent disinfectant. This is designed to allow scientists gain a clearer picture of how the spread of Covid-19 can be prevented at large indoor concerts. We\u2019ll find out from this how easy it will be to return to a level of pre-Covid normalcy when the results are known.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in Berlin on August 29th a protest against Covid-19 measures went ahead that brought out an undisclosed number of people of varying opinions on the restrictions. Many chose to avoid wearing face masks or social distance, despite the urgings of police over megaphones. A similar protest also went ahead in Dublin and also featured a lack of masks and social distancing.<\/p>\n

Open-air Concerts<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

On the 11th<\/sup> of August an open-air concert took place at the Virgin Money Unity Arena in Gosforth Park, Newcastle, at which people were fenced off into private pens at a six feet distance with a maximum of five people for each one. This could be the short-term future of concerts and would certainly allow events to proceed and may even improve on certain aspects of the experience!<\/p>\n

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The UK\u2019s First Socially Distanced Concert, the Virgin Money Unity Arena was built in Gosforth Park, Newcastle. The concert venue extends 480,000 square feet (or 45,000 square meters) and has 500 viewing spaces (some refer to them as \u201cpods\u201d), with a total of 2.500 attendees. pic.twitter.com\/wQsDfp4pIj<\/a><\/p>\n

— Ken Rutkowski (@kenradio) August 15, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n