This year was one to remember, with life constantly changing it created a “new normal.” We got used to wearing masks in public, staying 6 feet apart, using Zoom, and just staying at home more than usual. Now, with a new year and the vaccine rolling out many people question if things will start to change.

     Sophia Vezmar ’22 says, “People have gotten used to wearing masks and social distancing. We will probably wear masks for a long time.” Eva Stegic ’23 agrees and says, “masks have become a courtesy to others so we will probably wear masks for a long time.” Davin Khan ’24 adds on, “[masks] will start to fade out in a few years.”

Additionally, many people are curious how 2021 will compare to 2020. Although everyone wishes they could control the future and make COVID-19 disappear, unfortunately, that is not possible. Stegic says, “People should be prepared for 2021 to be pretty similar to 2020 and having stuff go back to normal either next year or the year after.” Khan goes on and adds, “2021 will be a transitional stage … socially since we’ve been online it might be awkward to reintegrate back in person.” We have gotten so used to logging into zoom meetings and having to click unmute to speak that normal interactions will seem weird.

The pandemic also caused many concerts, trips, and big social gatherings to get canceled. If we have more freedom this year to gather in bigger groups how are people going to feel? Khan shares, “People are going to be more cautious of germs and health but overall people will be glad to see each other in person.” This new normal that the pandemic has created will hopefully allow our society to be healthier, happier, and safer in years to come.