New Normal

We have made many changes to my office due to the COVID pandemic. We are scheduling our appointments further apart. Limiting the number of patients in our office. Requiring face masks and temperature checks. We put up sneeze guards and shields at the front desk and on the equipment. And we are disinfecting every square surface before and after each patient.

Being a bit of a germaphobe, I’ve always required my staff to aggressively wash their hands and disinfect our exam rooms and high touch areas.  

It makes me wonder though, why haven’t we been taking these other extra precautions all along? For example at the supermarket, shouldn’t they have always cleaned the shopping cart handles? And will they continue once the pandemic has passed? 

Six months ago it would have seemed odd to encounter someone wearing a mask in public. Now it seems odd to see someone in public without a mask. Will we continue to use masks, when we are no longer required to do so?

I think the general public’s heightened awareness of infection control will be a long lasting positive effect of our experience with COVID. After all, it will always be wise to properly wash your hands and cover your cough. It will be interesting to see what our new normal looks like.