New normal life

THE “new normal” has come upon us and the sooner citizens embrace it the better because Covid-19 might be here to stay. Nobody knows how long it will take to contain the deadly virus and Zambians, like the rest of the people in the world, have to get used living under the new normal. It is the uncertainty surrounding the virus that compelled President Edgar Lungu, in his national address on Friday last week, to lift some of the lockdown measures on key economic sectors to prevent the economy from crumbling. In the unprecedented times the nation has found itself in during the outbreak of Covid-19 (coronavirus), President Lungu and the government have taken precautions to keep citizens safe while at the same time ensuring daily activities continue under the new normal. This has seen examination classes ordered to open on June 1 while restaurants, casinos and gyms, among others, have resumed their normal operations. However, bars and night clubs remain closed pending a Presidential decision. Just as the Head of State observed in his televised address, Zambians should come to terms with living under the new normal to curtail the spread of the disease without necessarily hampering daily activities. But it is worth stating here that living under the new normal still demands that citizens strictly adhere to the public health regulations as they go about their daily routines. It would be folly for citizens to throw caution to the wind and ignore the measures, believing that since some sectors of the economy have been allowed to resume normal operations, it was business as usual. Far from it! In fact, under the new normal, heightened observance of the public health control measures was crucial for people to stay safe and healthy as they go about with their activities be it at home, workplace or indeed marketplace. For example, masking up now is now law under the new normal. This means that going forward, one cannot board a minibus or be served in a restaurant or go about in public without wearing a mask. The same applies to schools, banks and other institutions. Pupils in day and boarding schools, returning to school on June 1, will have to wear masks, keep social distancing, sanitise their hands frequently and avoid handshakes. Sounds bizarre and an impossible feat for pupils in a school environment but that’s the new normal! For pupils in non-examination classes, the Ministry of General Education has designed online instructions for them to access. A number of universities too have resorted to offering e-learning for their students to study and do their assignments. Further under the new normal, service companies such as Zesco and water utility entities are encouraging people to be paying using online platforms to avoid exposure and facilitate social distancing. Citizens should also live with the fact that banks and some companies have reduced their working hours and only gatherings of not more than 50 people will be allowed subject to meeting the public health control measures. That’s not all, so citizens have to get accustomed to attending funerals, weddings or kitchen parties of not more than 50 people as well as to worship via TV, radio or online platforms for those whose churches are still not congregating. As alluded to earlier, the new normal has come upon us, and we can only hope citizens modify their lives in line with the new way of life to stay safe while going about their daily lives during these challenging times. The Sun