"LIFE OF 'Reopening' IN TIME OF CoViD"

What does reopening means to you in this time of CoViD? How does it affect you when establishments and local businesses start to reopen? What is the impact of this in your family, work or just life in general?

SCHOOLS

Debates left and right: Should we re-open or should we not? Should teachers be vaccinated before re-opening or not? Will kids have to wear mask or not? Even teachers have differing ideas; parents alike have contrasting issues and students, well, I feel that by this time they are mixed up about things as well.

I am a mom of a 5th grader, he is finishing from elementary moving up to middle school and that is coming pretty soon. I wish he could experience a simple ceremony moving up like the "normal", like how it used to be. But nothing will ever be back to normal (or how it used to be) we are looking forward to a new way of life, our "Coronormal"!

With that in mind, re-opening of schools are a lot of things "NEW" and that is for sure. Things like smaller class size, well-distanced classroom arrangement, masked students, sanitizing every single nook of the room, well-distanced sports activities and for some school no PE yet, that would be a lot of things asked but I am sure all of these are doable!

BUSINESSES

These group of people, especially small business owners, have struggled the most compared to most of us. I am not saying you are not or did not struggle, but let us give this group the benefit of the doubt because they really have.

When we closed down in March of 2020, which feels so long ago now, they were greatly impacted by it. And even after things started to settle, they were only allowed to re-open depending on the kind of business they are in. Restaurants and groceries were allowed to do business with a lot of variations and adjustments as they are "essential business" to keep us sustained with food and all. Slowly different businesses tried their best to argue their degree of being "essential" so that they can continue business as usual too.

Now that guidelines are in place, it still seems like more difficult to conduct business or offer services. With so much restrictions in place, business owners are spending more in order to make adjustments so that they can re-open their businesses. A lot is at stake especially for small business owners, the government help can only get them through one month’s rent and then what’s next? For a lot of them, it seems like it is just a choice between closing or selling the business.

On a good note as we are slowly aiming for "herd immunity" through nationwide vaccination, we are seeing a lot of creative business owners opening up their platforms and making the most of opportunities in online selling too. It only shows how resilient we really are in the middle of such a difficult time in our generation. Creativity and resourcefulness are making their best show during this pandemic. Other industries have diverted from one product to another as the increasing need and demand dictates. For example, some brewery have opted to manufacture hand sanitizers when their sales dropped. With the use of the same ingredients just a little tweak and a different process they were able to survive and at the same time help out in the need for sanitizers during this pandemic.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Living in the Bay Area (Northern California or NorCal) comes with many perks, and one of them is the ease of public transport in the form of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). It is the rail transit that connects San Francisco easily to most major cities around the Greater Bay Area of NorCal

With CoViD, the BART seems to be running like a ghost train... most days empty! They continue to run, therefore, continue to incur expenses with no income. Since most workers are staying home or for some just being cautious and not being in crowded spaces (like it would be during rush hours on the BART), this might actually bring this transport system to its knees just like many other businesses nowadays

When will it be safe to take the BART again? Or maybe a more appropriate question would be, when will you be comfortable to ride the BART again?

We are mandated wherever we are to continually practice social distancing, face masking, hand washing or hand sanitizing and staying away from crowds.

GATHERINGS

Events and gatherings, especially church worship, have been greatly affected and highly contested on this side of the world. When can the congregation gather and worship together indoors? Entertainers are also on the look out for opportunities to be back on their tour bus and perform live. How could the organizer do crowd control in big gatherings and how to ensure that social distancing and many other protocols are set up to prevent cross infection? And really, when will we be comfortable in a crowd without worrying of getting a virus?

Weddings and funerals; birthday parties and reunions; and our holidays have been either canceled or celebrated a different way.

In the church community I belong to, our elders have long decided to continue on worship services outdoors until government mandates allow 50% capacity for indoor gathering. We are still thriving together as a community of believers while we follow the health guidelines on face coverings and social distancing. Slowly, we are finding creative ways to still continue on with activities that nurture each other in the Word of GOD.

Even in churches, a few things have changed just for example, communion has taken a new shape in order to accommodate the new health standards set for CoViD-19. Individual packaging of the bread and wine are now in the market to make sure that lesser contact is adhered to. Since we are doing outdoor worship, we carry our own chairs and bring our own coffee or drinks; we sit socially distanced from each other or with our social bubble; hand sanitizers are found everywhere; everyone is checked prior to entering the venue and face masks are required when doing congregational singing and whenever you leave your spot.

TO REOPENING

To conclude, reopening is really a bigger problem now than closing down. Now that we know a little bit more about this novel virus called "Coronavirus" that have caused this pandemic, there are guidelines put in place to help us all navigate through a new "Coronormal" world. Every establishment, both public and private, will need to put more effort into the thinking, planning and actual reopening. This will mean new ways of doing things, new tasks for employees and staff, new guidelines to follow by everyone, new creativity in selling or rendering services, new set up for some to make customers comfortable, new and improved ways to meet the ever changing health standards and new policies on communicating and socializing all at the same time.

But as we move and get on with life, we have to accept that these "coronormal" changes will soon be necessities of life in order to continue existing and will eventually be something automatic in our everyday life. Whether we are part of the staff reopening or part of the public affected by it, we all have to support each other in this. Doing our share in the process in order to make things better for us as individuals and as a corporate being. Yes, into our new ways of life in time of CoViD-19, as it will be here for the long haul.

Let us learn to adapt to our new "coronormal" so we can be part of a successful reopening of a safer and healthier society. You and me are part of THIS society, wouldn't it be nice to be a part of the greater good?

/DEEend/

#lifeintimeofCoViD #LifeofREOPENING #coronormal #schoolREOPENING #businessREOPENING #smallbusinessREOPENING

"LIFE ANEW IN TIME OF CoViD"

Are you one of those who get so excited about the new year? I mean the change of the year, not just the NYE celebrations. I have heard a lot of people say the phrase "I just can not wait for the New Year!" or "Thank goodness 2020 is behind us!" or "I am so ready for 2021"

With what we all went through in 2020 it is no surprise that a lot of people are feeling very hopeful for the new year. Everything seems to shine a bright light from the heavens when the New Year makes a grand entrance. Do you know the feeling that everything will be better when the clock turns to midnight and 2021 starts?

But does it really do that miraculously? I do not think so...the truth is nothing will change overnight just because the calendar turned to 2021! But it is good to be hopeful as always.

What is new about this New Year? 2021 came and now upon us and things are still much the same. CoViD-19 still roams around and now it has even invited a close family member, a baby sister (a new CoViD variant) which has promised to be more potent, more easily transferable, in short more deadly (if we are not careful)! So that is the first thing that shocked us this year. When you thought it was over, when really it is just getting started.

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What else is new? On the other side of the aisle is a hopeful new... the much-awaited NEW CoViD vaccine! And yes, we have two authorized and recommended vaccines by the CDC currently available here in the US. These are Pfizer-BioNTech CoViD-19 Vaccine and the other is Moderna's CoViD-19 Vaccine. A few more coming soon from some other pharmaceutical companies just awaiting to be approved. Here in the US we have started rolling out the vaccines and vaccination have started initially for our frontliners like doctors, nurses, first responders and then the elderly population next.

#vaxxie

"Vaxxie" is another new thing this 2021. A NEW WORD during this pandemic. Do not be surprised anymore if we see it on the dictionary in a few years! "Vaxxie" is the term coined to the selfie while receiving your CoViD-19 vaccine. Vaccination selfie it is. Well, these "vaxxies" in my own opinion is good marketing for the vaccination program of the Health Department. Riding on the social media hype in order to get the message out for keeping healthy and considering vaccination against CoViD-19 is definitely a plus! I must confess, I said I am not doing this "vaxxie", but when I was asked a second time if I want a "shot" I thought I'll have it just in case I changed my mind...(sorry it won't be posted here LOL!).

It can not be denied that with every new piece of update about CoViD-19, we all react. Maybe that is good sometimes. Increased level of awareness as some would have it. On the brighter side of things, there are a lot of researchers, scientists, inventors and game changers that come up with different kind of solutions or treatments everyday. They may not all be approved for use, but the effort put into it is good enough to know that something is being done or being thought of.

If you are into keeping everyone healthy in the family and you are not in line yet for a vaccine, then maybe NEW WAYS of testing for CoViD-19 can be a good one your way. In the UC Davis campus, they now use a "quick, cost-free" testing that uses saliva with a machine invented by their own scientists. They call this "UC Davis Campus Ready" testing program.

Here in California we started using the CA Notify. It is a notification system that we can activate on our smart phones (both apple and android friendly) so that we can know if we have been exposed to someone who is positive from CoViD-19 or its new variant.

It is not an app for apple devices (but it is an App for android), but a notification system like those notification that pops up on your phone when someone message you or if a new email came in or when someone comments on your social media platform or when it is time to "take a breath". The system works with the Bluetooth on, once you have turned ON the "Exposure Notification" from your settings then it should be working. You will not be asked any other personal information. The way it works is, when you come in "close contact" (interpreted as being within less than 6 feet and for about 15 minutes or more) with someone who is CoViD positive (provided he has activated CA Notify) then an exposure notification should automatically pop up on your phone screen telling you have been exposed to someone with CoViD. The way bluetooth works is that it continuously shares information with other devices with bluetooth on and it "PINGS" to notify you of the exposure. Your smart phone then suggests what next steps you can take. And that is all you need to know so you can make your next best move, and that is to ISOLATE yourself.

This becomes another layer of protection for us by being informed. I know it might not sound like the best notification to receive but with how this virus works it helps to know that you have been exposed therefore you can protect yourself, the people you love and those around you. You can then make your best informed decision.

Soon enough, a new tiny machine that we can use at home to test ourselves for CoViD will be available for purchase from designated pharmacies. This machine just received its first authorization approval and is called "The LUCIRA CoViD-19 All-In-One Test Kit". This machine is only authorized for "prescription home use" by healthcare provider. It will be available to the public for the amount of $50/machine.

Almost forgot, the United States have a new president this year in President Joe Biden. I think that is all that's NEW so far in this "Life In Time Of CoViD" that we're living in.

So what else is NEW with your year? We can never get enough of everything NEW whether it is something positive or something not so positive, we will eventually learn to live with it and around it and after a few weeks it will be nothing but new!

#lifeinthimeofCoViD #somethingNEW #whatsNEW #CAnotify #CoViDvaccine #vaxxie #UCDavisCampusReady #LUCIRAtestkit

LIFE OF "SOCIAL BUBBLE" IN TIME OF CoViD

Life during this pandemic does not have to be hard, but it does come with some restrictions and a lot of sacrifices with a touch of creativity. We all need to survive this with sanity and we all long for community. You must have heard of the term "social bubble" all during this year of uncertainty. What does it really mean? How do we do it? Is it really feasible to belong to a social bubble and stay safe?

Onto the second wave of this pandemic in most parts of the world, here in America we are bracing harder times due to the long term effect of this Coronavirus. Exactly a mayhem! Everyone is just in panic mode and still others (mostly small business owners) are going into fight mode just to be able to save their only means of survival. How can we actually cope during this second wave? What else can we do to fight this unseen enemy? What else do we have on the line that has not been affected by this pandemic? Our health, family, school, work, business, social affairs, sports, church service and activities, and many other things (that I have somewhat forgotten now....argh!) things we used to do before that were not able to participate in now.

Then out of the blue a lot of new ideas, new things and new ways to live are being introduced to us in order to survive this pandemic and keep our sanity at the same time. "SOCIAL BUBBLE" is now part of our vocabulary, our social norms and a choice of a new way to live. Have you heard how this works? It is actually more than what it is.

This social bubble is a way they are trying to push in order for people to be able to move around and still socialize within a very limited population. As defined by Gideon Lichfield on a podcast he said that SOCIAL BUBBLE is "basically a group of people who have decided to treat each other as safe, meaning they're agreeing to be in normal contact together, not take any precautions with each other but take precautions with the outside world." He is gearing towards socializing as normal but isolating in minimum. It is like living like normal (meaning as before) within this exclusively group (your bubble) but doing your precautions when socializing outside of this bubble. How can this be possible?

I listened to this podcast and read the article from NPR entitled "The Pros and Cons of Social Bubble" about this author who is actually a single man who, out of fear of going into depression, decided to make a pact with a family whom he is friends with. A pact or a contract as he describes it because both parties have to agree with the terms and conditions of doing life together in a social bubble. You may ask what 'terms and conditions' apply here? Don't they sound too "business-y"?

I am talking about Gideon Lichfield. He and his friends agreed to do the essentials in preventing from catching the virus like using mask whenever they go out, washing hands, washing their grocery, social distancing with other people if they ever need to go out. He said that the most important thing when you enter a pact to be in a "social bubble" is TRUST. Open communication and transparency are also very helpful. You will need to put down some of your personal barriers when you enter into this contract as you will have to be able to share everything going on in your life that concerns you and your bubble getting exposed to other people from the outside world. At the same time one has to be vocal about asking the hard questions to the other party in order to be sure that everyone is doing their part in the pact. Otherwise it won't work.

I have heard someone said that our elderly population will most likely die of isolation and depression rather than the virus, how true can that be. We see this everyday and as this pandemic and quarantine/lockdown continues, isolation is taking a toll not just with the elderly population even with the younger generation.

One study according to USA Today says that you have to "limit your interactions with different age groups". A household with multi-generational members could be more at risk than nuclear ones. So when entering a social bubble pact it would be wiser to do it with people mostly the same age and lifestyle as you are.

When you enter into a social bubble you must also limit your movement and interactions with basically the same people in the group. As much as possible you will have to refrain from meeting another group or new people without social distancing or the usual facial covering as this will increase your chances of infection.

"The more people an individual interacts with at a gathering and the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the potential risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 and COVID-19 spreading." - CDC's Considerations for Events and Gatherings

How big can a bubble be? Generally a group of 10 or smaller is a standard small group in an outdoor setting. USA Today article on "Why Social Bubbles Work to Curb Viruses and Protect the Population" said this "The bubble could be two or three families who limit their social contacts to each other or even a group of co-workers who limit their out-of-office socializing to each other." Remember, the number matters. It is the first thing you consider when you are in a social bubble. The lesser number of people mingling the lesser the potential for chances of spread.

Doing life together with your most intimate friends or neighbors and keeping it at that number, with minimal interactions to people outside your bubble, can be a very effective tool in minimizing the spread of CoViD-19 without sacrificing your social life. It will be hard, but it is definitely doable.

The main downside of the social bubble is so well represented by this statement: "The group is only as safe as its least safe member." Simply put it, if one member gets the infection, everybody else will surely get it that is because you are closely knit together within your social bubble.

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What are some quesions we need to keep in mind? Ask them questions like the following:

• Are you interacting with other outside family members or friends?

• Are you venturing on outings that may boost your exposure risk?

• Have you sent children back to daycare?

• When you are out, are you wearing masks?

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Healthline shares some ideas on how we can still do things outside and yet keep safe and true to our social bubble. Three basic suggestions-

1. DRIVE-IN ANYTHING. Drive-in movies; drive-by concerts; drive-through fast food windows; drive through banking; curbside pick-up served straight to the car trunk. Always remember, the lesser people we interact with the lesser the spread.

2. LOOK FOR LOOK OUT POINTS. Avoid the crowded vista points, instead find those open, large areas where your group can enjoy and still be isolated. Taking a joy ride apparently is the best for your pod. By the way, picnic outside is way better than dining inside a crowded restaurant. If you plan to go to the beach, do not go where the crowds are.

3. EMBRACE YOUR BACKYARD. There is no place like home, and yes the backyard is an extension of our home! Explore your outdoors and work something new. Invite your social pod to join you or even find that quiet place in a corner of your backyard. Encourage your kids to play outside. Barbeque on a nice day, s'mores and more on a cold day. My favorite is sitting on a chair and reading my book flooded with the outdoor noise of birds chirping, planes flying over or people walking by. What could be better.

I do hope I have shed a bit of light into this dimmer world we are living in. Why we do these things now will hopefully find a better explanation in our immediate future. Now that the vaccines are out, the decision is left in your hands - whether to let this unseen enemy continue to run as down or will we fight together by trenches and get vaccinated.

We might have friends who are more restrictive and isolated than we are. We might not be as disciplined as others but we all need to respect each other. Respect each other's decision. Respect each other's space. Grace! Grace! Grace!

#LifeinTimeofCoViD #SocialBubble #Respectforothers