The pandemic has affected our way of life since March of 2020. To survive as a society, we had to make some adaptations. While we strive to get back to “normal”, some of these adaptations will stay. What will we see going forward as our world finds a new balance?

The first and biggest adaptation is continuing your life online. Many professions, that do not require interaction with the customer directly (retail) or working in a specific environment (janitorial or construction), will keep at least some of the telecommuting options open to stay productive and pare down the real estate needed for everyday business. Some staff may work in the office while others work from home, or all employees could work some days in the office and some days from home. The benefits would be:

·         Less traffic allowing faster commute times and less wear and tear on your vehicle.

·         More casual work attire since you don’t have to dress up to be seen. Even if you have a video conference, you aren’t seen from head to toe.

·         If someone cannot be in the office due to illness or caring for a family member, they can still get some time at work to avoid losing PTO or getting behind on work that has a deadline.

·         Don’t forget the ultimate reason we started telecommuting.  Less exposure during sick seasons means an overall healthier work environment.

Telemedicine is here to stay too. There is no doubt that many patients must be seen in person to diagnose or test, but regular appointments, follow ups, and consultations for procedures can all be done online or by phone. There are benefits here too:

·         Not leaving work to talk to the doctor means not using PTO just to take care of yourself and your family.

·         The doctors can see more patients faster because they are not waiting for patients to be moved from waiting area to intake to the exam room to the exit before preparing that room for the next patient.

·         Again, the reason telemedicine became so important in the first place is that it allows people who are not sick to avoid being exposed to the ones who are, just to talk to a doctor. Protection from infection helps contain the spread of COVID, but this practice works well with other contagions like colds and influenza also.

Restaurants are being proactive to protect their staff and customers:

·         Many restaurants are using QR codes to allow customers to see menus online instead of having to touch the printed menus that 100 other people have already handled.

·         Pay at the table options allow the customer to pay without having the server—and anyone else--handle your credit card after touching those from other patrons. When the server hands it back, it is normal to put it (with all the germs on it) in your wallet and take it home.

·         Outdoor dining, when possible, can limit exposure to others when masks are off to eat.

·         Some restaurants and grocers decided to participate in delivery options such as Door Dash to serve customers when people are sick or cannot go out, and they do not want to cook.

Until recently, shopping meant going to the mall and shopping in an environment where large department stores were considered “one stop shopping”. Between the large stores were smaller ones that were specialty stores. We see that malls are slowly dying because shopping preferences changed.

·         Online shopping makes everything a “one stop shop” without having to leave your home. This is especially helpful for people who live in remote areas where stores are few and far between.

·         Government and media have been pushing a “support your local mom and pop stores” campaign during the pandemic to help the small outlets stay afloat until shopping in person is safer. Even these stores have to look to an online presence to stay afloat in the retail race.

·         Shoppers are trending toward big box stores that are more specialized instead of a little of everything for everyone. Examples are DIY repair stores (Lowe’s and Home Depot), pet stores (PetSmart), bookstores (Barnes & Nobles and Books A Million), etc.

·         These shopping trends are spelling disaster for those traditional all in one stores (Macy’s, JC Penny’s, Sears, etc.). Many have been forced to cut real estate and staff to stay afloat.

·         Since those stores are the anchors bringing customers to the malls, there must be adaptation there too. Gwinnett Place Mall was being used as a movie set as a mall from the 80’s (Stranger Things). In the end though, after 36 years of serving the greater Atlanta area, this mall had to close its doors. Georgia Square Mall is allowing stores to be used for other purposes such as Athens Bridge Club, Athens Fencing Club, military recruiting offices and government offices such as a police substation and a state Dept of Revenue office. Amazon has already acquired two malls in the north that have become distribution centers for the online retail giant.

What does all of this say?  While life will find a new normal, it cannot go back to the good old days, and anyone holding out for that will miss out. 100 years ago, influenza was the pandemic, and it is still here today. We have to live with the probability that COVID is also here to stay. Good habits to keep are:

·         Plan around COVID surges just like we do for flu season. This means dressing appropriately for the weather, washing hands regularly, wearing a mask when appropriate, etc. We don’t have to re-invent what to do, but we need to do a better job with what we already know.

·         As COVID tests are becoming more affordable and available, use them to isolate when we are sick and be out living life when not. Self-isolation when sick is one of our strongest weapons which is underutilized because the infected person simply does not feel sick.

·         Use vaccinations and boosters to protect family, especially our youngest and oldest with health complications.

·         Follow a routine for maintaining the workplace. This includes routinely cleaning all frequently touched surfaces including phones, doorknobs, keyboards, etc. This also includes maintaining a cleaning schedule for high traffic areas such as office walkways, doorways, and common meeting areas. ServiceMaster of Gwinnett and ServiceMaster 5 Points Athens are both ready to help you keep the floors and furniture in these areas clean.

·         After you have been at your workplace, what should you think about when arriving home? Plan to change as soon as you get home, put your work clothes in a safe place away from the family, until they can be cleaned. Finally, remember to clean your floors regularly, particularly around entryways, since shoes track in all sorts of dust, dirt and debris that can carry something as small as a virus.  ServiceMaster of Gwinnett and ServiceMaster 5 Points Athens are always ready to help you keep these areas clean. Call our office to schedule your appointment today.