In what ways are you "back to normal"? In what ways are you not?

When the house is finally done I’ll start to feel “normal.”

Normal? In Texas? Is this a joke thread? I’m surprised I haven’t been jailed for still wearing mask in public.

Not back to normal in anything outside my own property lines.

Ask me again in 2 years

I’m not back to normal yet. I haven’t really traveled except to a friends house 3 hours away and a quick trip to Amish country. All car rides. I don’t want to ride in a plane yet. A friend of mine came up from Florida and had a 3 hour layover where they had to wear their masks at all times. He said people were getting testy.

I was back to normal where I live for a few months after being vaccinated, then Delta came around. The one thing I was still trying to avoid even when I was feeling safe was being near unvaccinated people for any length of time.

Breakthrough cases started and I pulled back. I stopped going to zumba class for a month, stopped eating at restaurants, and started wearing masks every time indoors in public spaces.

Two weeks ago I started going back to zumba again, and going dancing outside at night. I still have not eaten at a restaurant in over two months. I guess I am willing to eat at a restaurant now, but I am not making any plans right away. I feel relatively safe where I live, but I will be pulling back again late November when people start traveling for Thanksgiving.

I am thinking about planning a mini-vacation. I have not been on a vacation in two years.

My country is close to being back to normal.
Only masks still mandatory in public transport and airports/planes.
Soon the 1,5 meter rule will drop.
Me personally, I’m still careful.
I don’t go outside much, not unnecessarily at least, I don’t do many visits (apart from my parents, and the occasional other family members), I don’t shake hands, hug, or kiss.
I forget too many times to bring my mask, when doing groceries…, otherwise I still would.
I’m vaccinated, as are around ¾ of my fellow country men and women.
The R number is way under 1.
Next spring, if nothing dramatic has happened, I’ll be contemplating if I will come out of my house again ;-)

The only thing that’s different is I wear a mask in public places. In almost every other way, things are back to normal. I’ve already been on a couple vacations this year and will be going on another in October. Work is in person again (though some meetings are still on Zoom), and I’m doing most of the same stuff I did before the pandemic, just some of it with a mask on. This is about as much “normal” as I was expecting. I’d be content if things didn’t backslide again.

The only thing that ever changed here was that we stopped educating children and started wearing masks in public. But this month, school actually re-opened, and children are once again getting an education. Now the only difference between pre and post pandemic are the masks.

I went to my first fall outdoor festival this weekend and it was terrific. No mask, few people, social distanced. This weekend is another outdoor festival so to avoid crowds, we’re going during Sunday church hours, for safety. (That’s Sunday morning’s 9am-Noon is considered church hours here, for those not familiar, and greatly decreases the number of people out and about.)

Other than that, still not eating out and staying in/masked, with occasional trips to the grocery store to re-stock.

I am going to a small concert at a venue in San Francisco tonight. First musical performance in 18 months.

I am still working from home, the office doesn’t reopen until November 2.

I am travelling, albeit masked per FAA regulations.

@zenvelo At least you get to go back, I am permanent remote now. Not quite sure how I feel about it yet, very mixed emotions.

Nope back to full time mask wearing in public .
I find it strange I have to put on a mask to go to the Bank.

I’m not looking forward to “normal”. I LIKE working from home. I LIKE staying home unless it’s absolutely necessary to leave.

And wearing a mask offers me the freedom of not having to wear those horrible dentures I have.

I go inside Walmart sometimes now. I wear a mask indoors always.

The rule in the CT county that I shop in has become that masks are once again mandatory. Most stores, most people will wear masks. Walmart is 50/50.

Last year I did some long weekend car trip vacations. This year I did a longer car trip vacation. I’m avoiding any trip that requires a plane because I don’t want to spend the day in a mask between the time at the airport and the time on the plane.

Tomorrow night, we’re going to a movie theater for the first time since probably February 2020. Friends want to take the kids to see “Dear Evan Hansen.” If not for the fact that friends are going, I’d be ok not going to a movie theater.

We visit certain friends in their house or sitting outside, and we go to restaurants, indoors and out. That was since last year.

When I come home from being out in public, I take a second shower. It’s not required by any health department but I just do it and I feel better doing so.

@jca2 I usually shower too. I forgot about that.

@SABOTEUR My husband told me to stop overthinking it and realize my dream has come true-a stay at home dog mom. I need to stay focused on the positive. :)

So WHERE YA GOIN’ BOB? ;D

Personally “normal” wasn’t actually part of my pre-pandemic life. Things have just been generally more complicated since COVID, but I manage.

What’s adding stress for everyone right now is uncertainty about whether State will issue new orders for businesses due to the Delta surge. The Gov lifted almost all restrictions for retail & hospitality at end of June, but new cases in Sept hit over 2300 with 365 deaths – over 80% among unvaxed patients. Even though all employees at places I work have had their shots, managers are getting uneasy about the public. Masks are still mandatory for anyone commuting on busses or trains, and most airlines flying out of Portland are spacing seating to provide distancing.

@JLoon NYC, for about 50 hours, ugh.

Rick and I are the only ones who wear masks around here.

I went to the movie theater last night, for the first time since the shutdown. I had no desire to go to a theater, except that friends wanted to see “Dear Evan Hansen.” It’s now $16.50 for adults (adults are now considered anybody over 12). Plus tax. Plus if you buy the tickets online there’s a fee. Popcorn was either 9 dollars for regular size or 10 dollars for large. Bottle of water, $5. I didn’t look at soda prices but we didn’t get a drink. I could afford all this but I just think it’s ridiculous. For two movie tickets plus the popcorn, it was about $50. Me, on my own, would never eat popcorn in a theater but my daughter wanted it and her friend got it so I figured okay.

I’m just back from holiday where things felt almost back to normal apart from wearing face masks indoors. I had been avoiding public transport until last week now I have been on trains and buses. Things are not back to normal in the hospitals which are still full of Covid cases and the backlog of operations is constantly growing.