Covid carryovers

I do that. When shopping, I let people finish looking at items before I approach the shelf. I find myself going down a different (empty) aisle and returning to a busier aisle after people have passed.

I’m in healthcare and always wear a mask at work. I didn’t always wear it before.

I mask on public transportation and in busy public areas which means that I always have a mask on me - something that I never did before.

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I keep at least 2 masks in my purse—one that has been opened and has a strap so I can have around my neck when not used and one unused in case I need to offer one. Never even wore masks pre-covid.

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Some carry forwards:
– Isolate before big events.
– Keep masks in pocketbook (if someone nearby in a theater, on mass transit, etc. coughs the mask goes on – also in airports heading to a vacation).
– I keep some covid tests in the house.
– More online shopping.
– Grocery shopping maybe twice a week rather than picking up something almost daily.
–Buying some things in bulk.
–I did keep one small splurge-- during covid I went to a small, upscale grocery nearby and the only tea they carried was Twinnings. Now I exclusively buy nice tea for myself.

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Oh yes, we keep a stash of unexpired covid&flu a/B tests in our house.

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Besides things everyone has said, I like the habit of people leaving space in between when standing on line. Not everyone does it, but most do, especially if they see someone else leaving space.

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I always have a sanitizer and mask on me. I wear a mask on public transportation, and I wash my hands when I get in my place. I always do a Covid test now whenever I get sick.
Yes, I do like the hybrid work situation.

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  • Isolate before big events.
  • Some monthly meetings are now only on zoom.
  • More choosing outside at restaurants.
  • Masks in public transportation, airports, crowded museums, doctors offices.

Best carryovers:

  • Regular Discord meeting with kids and DH’s side of the family over Saturday lunch. (Often followed by VR mini-golf later in the weekend.
  • Regular Zoom/Steam meeting with friends from grad school Friday after dinner for Screw Your neighbor. One of our group is so dedicated he joined us from China and from somewhere outside near the ranger lodge in a state park in the Shenandoahs.
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Ah yes, I forgot the I always have (at least one) mask in my possession, and I now carry sanitizer.

As for paper goods, every time my love calls “gonna stop at Costco, do we need anything?” I always say, get tp and paper towels! Only time he questioned me, my response was “remember?” That’s all it takes.

One thing no one has mentioned - we now have a family rule, call the place we’re going (or thinking of going) to ensure they’re still in business and that hours haven’t changed.

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Oh yeah, I have sanitizer attached to my purse—never did before & we use it.

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Working out at home.

Quick pick up at my local public library. Reserve a book, they will put it on a shelf by the door under your name, scan it yourself, and walk out.

Evening showers. I used to shower in the morning. I’m a special ed teacher, kids had a lot of trouble with masks, lots of work on hygiene skills, and lots of close contact so during Covid I showered as soon as I walked in the door.

Which led to…

I stopped blowdrying/straightening my curly hair and now let it dry naturally.

I’ve realized I don’t like socializing and am a homebody.

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A few things I’ve embraced since COVID:
1. I don’t hesitate to tell someone who seems sick that I’d rather not be around them. Used to bite my tongue, but not anymore.
2. I skip movie theaters— I wasn’t enjoying the theater experience pre-COVID, so no loss there.
3. I’m all about fresh air these days. At the gym I’m the one asking to open the windows every time.
4. I check the state waste water data and the CDC Data Channel for Respiratory Illness. That guides my prevention efforts.
5. I realized I didn’t need a $60 haircut. For my hair a $25 works just fine.

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I have a heightened sense of awareness when someone around me is coughing. :flushed: I was shopping yesterday and heard a woman cough a couple aisles away. I turned and walked in the opposite direction. :laughing:

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I notice people warn me if they’re ill because they know that when I get ill it lingers. I just try to avoid them until they’re well again.

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I turn down invitations when I don’t feel like going and I no longer make an excuse. Miss Manners has always said it’s perfectly polite to say “Oh thanks so much, I won’t be able to join you” without an elaborate explanation. So my post-Covid carryover is to do just that.

During Covid nobody needed an excuse. Wasn’t that liberating?

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I face time with my friends and family across the country much more regularly.

My H is still on a hybrid schedule with work which has been great.

We carry masks with us when we leave the house and mask up if we will be indoors for a long time, or if people near us are coughing/sneezing/sniffling.

We stay home if we are feeling under the weather (and test).

We also are very cautious about exposure before major life events.

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I’ve always liked, but used far too infrequently, E.B. White’s line: “I must decline, for secret reasons.”

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lol, not a good way to cut off inquiries!

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I am a very social person, so happy that I no longer have to distance, but holdovers that I do enjoy is that advances in outdoor dining. Such as those domes, and in warmer weather more outdoor seating. Also the idea of remote work.
I dont enjoy being paranoid every time I have a sniffle. :frowning:

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Me, too. A few days after our waitress at breakfast started coughing in a way that made H & I cringe, I tested positive for Covid. H didn’t get it, so I may have picked it up during one of my two outpatient procedures that week. But it made me feel like cringing at the coughing was justified. I also understood that this waitress, who works two waitress jobs to make ends meet, might not be able to take time off when sick … and wearing a mask in our area would probably result in reduced tips for her. I don’t condone it if she was sick, came to work anyway, and chose not to wear a mask. But I understand it. Of course, she may simply have had allergies. :woman_shrugging:

And this thinking is a big change from the things that would have crossed my mind pre-Covid.

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I am also avoiding crowds even more than before. I’ve never been a fan of crowds but now I am VERY reluctant to be in any area that is crowded.

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