Bygone customs — adjusting to a new normal

When there’s a birthday, there’s cake. And candles, topped with tiny triangles of fiery plumes. There’s also the song, followed by the customary display of the celebrant making a wish and blowing out the candles.

In the time of COVID-19, it’s hard to imagine someone basically spitting on the cake guests are about to eat. Will we ever blow out birthday candles again? 

The pandemic has caused some to rethink our behavior when it comes to sanitation and safety. Handshakes and hugs are strongly discouraged by the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), and we can assume this applies to high fives and any other close contact that violates social distancing guidelines. 

Will the elbow bump become the new norm for greetings? Or will it be jazz hands? 

High rise buildings in New Eastside suggest limiting elevator capacity, so holding the door, once considered polite, is now discouraged. That might also mean awkward elevator small talk is a thing of the past. 

New Eastside resident Al Hartley is looking forward to a lack of elevator chit chat.

“I don’t mind the silence, and I don’t mind riding the elevator alone,” says Hartley. 

Grocery samples, which once lured shoppers into trying a new product or satiating a growling stomach, are no longer set out in stores. Salad bars, hot bars and buffets have been hastily removed due to the risk of contamination. 

Reading material has vanished from doctors’ waiting rooms at the CDC’s recommendation. Children’s toys and games and other communal items are missing as well, replaced only by hand sanitizer and maybe a box of tissues. 

Ordering meals from communal touch screens at restaurants and cafes was becoming a new norm, and we have also routinely used touch screens for banking, pumping gas and credit card transactions. Perhaps now we will do all of this on personal smart devices.

Nearly twenty years ago, we learned new airport security procedures, such as removing shoes and coats and sending all personal items, including liquid and gels, through the scanner belt before boarding an airplane. It took some time, but we adjusted. 

And we will adjust again, as temperature scans and immunity cards become more prevalent in our daily life. And mandatory face coverings could emerge as the next trendy fashion accessory.