Life After Covid: When Can We Start Planning?

21 Dec Life After Covid: When Can We Start Planning?

We curated a story from The New York Times titled “When Can We Start Making Plans?” Several journalists queried the likes of Dr. Anthony Fauci and other experts for answers we all want as we walk through this seemingly endless tunnel looking for the light.

The United States moved one step closer to getting back to normal this week with the first Covid vaccinations of health care workers around the country. While the majority of Americans won’t get their shots until spring, the vaccine rollout is a hopeful sign of better days ahead. We asked Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, as well as several epidemiologists and health and science writers for The Times, for their predictions about the months ahead. Here’s what they had to say.

What advice do you have for families eager to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones?
“Do it by Zoom. Don’t let Junior come home and kill Grandma. Think of this like World War II — our soldiers didn’t get to fly home to eat turkey. My father was at Normandy. My mother was with the Red Cross in occupied Austria. They missed the holidays. Life went on. There were happier years later.” — Donald G. McNeil Jr., health and science reporter

Will we shake hands again?

“I’m not. I don’t know about you. I said that many, many months ago and the newspapers went wild with it. I’m sure people will get back to shaking hands. I think people will probably become more aware of personal hygiene and protecting yourself. That doesn’t mean nobody will shake hands again, nor does it mean everybody will go back to the way we did it again. Probably somewhere in between. Some people will be reluctant to shake hands. Some people will be washing hands a whole lot more than they ever did, even when Covid-19 is no longer around.” — Dr. Anthony S. Fauci

When would you personally feel comfortable returning to the office?

“When I’m vaccinated and everyone around me is.” — McNeil

Is my employer going to require me to be vaccinated?

“Employers do have the right to compel their workers to be vaccinated once a vaccine is formally approved. Many hospital systems, for example, require annual flu shots. But employees can seek exemptions based on medical reasons or religious beliefs. In such cases, employers are supposed to provide a ‘reasonable accommodation’; with a coronavirus vaccine, a worker might be allowed to wear a mask in the office instead, or to work from home.” — Abby Goodnough, national health care correspondent

Will we ever go to a big, crowded, indoor party without a mask again?…

Continue reading here for answers to questions about travel, mask-wearing, movies, theatre, restaurant dining, new normal, etc.