It is probably no longer a secret that the pandemic has turned all our lives upside down. No matter in which way. For more than a year now, the media has been full of news about the virus, the number of deaths and new mutations. Unfortunately,
there is very little talk about the social consequences of the crisis and the associated lockdowns. We talk so often about health and the importance of it, but what about mental health? What about the mental health of our children? What is the constant isolation doing to people with depression or anxiety disorders? All of these aspects of this crisis and many more are simply not being addressed. It’s all about new measures, new rules. Sometimes it seems as if the politicians are just looking for new reasons to impose a new curfew.
Most people are just tired and exhausted of all the restrictions they have to live with for so long. But don’t get me wrong, it’s not about selfishness or not wanting to help other people. It’s more about the fact that from an objective point of view many political decisions on these restrictions just don’t make sense. COVID-19 also divided us as a society in a way. It quickly became a highly political issue on which everyone has to take a stand. Which policies are supported and which are not? Which vaccination is the best one? People almost brag that they already have a vaccination appointment or are already vaccinated. It is odd from an outside perspective. The people who are not yet so sure with the vaccination or do not want to be vaccinated of course equal conspiracy theorists.
The openings of the catering trade, hotel trade and culture in the middle of May 2021 brought relief for many. Finally back to the coffee house, that’s what the Austrian needs. Finally back to a beer in a bar. Finally back to the theater, to the opera. Finally (a little) travel again. But all that only with proof of a negative test, a vaccination or a passed infection. What about the people who can’t prove any of that? They are no longer part of public life. If the mask is forgotten, unfortunately, you are no longer allowed to get a roll at the bakery. To what extent is that still okay? Many say it is fine. That one can do without a few basic rights for a short period of time in order to help the world and many other people. But no one really knows how long these regulations will be with us. How long we will have to be tested or vaccinated. How long we will still have to wear masks. Probably until we feel it’s normal. To a certain extent, that’s already the case. Whether there will ever be a real “return to normality” cannot be guaranteed. Our normality has already changed. To what extend that’s okay is up to each and every one of us to decide.