Does anybody remember what normal was like?
Back when you could go to the store and there was always plenty of toilet paper and hand sanitizer and you didn't wash your hands dozens of times a day. Back when you didn't tune in every day to watch the almost superhuman Dr. Heather Morrison and our provincial leaders dismantle a little more of what used to be normal each day as the number of cases of COVID-19 rose. Watching television or surfing the web now usually produces stories of Dr. Morrison's counterparts around the world doing the same thing. Back when watching sports on television meant seeing the Blue Jays win the 1993 World Series because all live sports is cancelled.
Don't get me wrong. I believe what is being done will eventually bring the situation under control. I also believe given our relatively small population and the fact we are an Island with few entry and exit points will allow us to see the post COVID-19 world quicker than most other jurisdictions.
As of this writing, P.E.I. has fortunately not had any deaths due to the outbreak and hopefully that will continue to be the case. The television footage from Italy and Spain of rows of coffins lined up should be enough to remind us what can happen if we don't adapt to the new normal.
What will be interesting when we do finally come out the other side of this crisis is whether there will be a lasting impact on our behaviour. For those of us in the over 50 crowd, we grew up hearing stories from our parents and/or grandparents about life in the Great Depression and Second World War. Those experiences marked forever the way they saw the world.
I am not comparing what we are going through because, when it comes down to it, this is largely just an inconvenience in terms of the restrictions on our movements and those who have lost income have a social safety net that was unthinkable in the 1930s.
However, the longer the pandemic impacts life, the more it is liable to change our long-term thinking. Already, it has challenged some long-held assumptions. Like the fact we could always walk into any store and buy anything we wanted as long as we had the money. Those empty toilet paper shelves are testament to the fact that is not always true.
Fortunately we were spared any major storms in March and the Confederation Bridge was not closed even for a day or two. Had that been the case, it doesn't take much imagination to picture a scenario where people were jostling to get that last loaf of bread rather than sanitizing lotion. Don't think it could happen here? Just think back to how quickly the lines started to form when they announced liquor stores were closing.
It goes without saying this is a crisis unlike anything those of us who did not live through the Great Depression or Second World War has witnessed in our lifetime. Its long-term impact on our collective psyche will likely depend on how long it lasts.
Andy Walker is a former reporter for the Journal-Pioneer and is now a freelance writer who lives in Cornwall, P.E.I. [email protected].
