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OPINION: What are you willing to do to get back to somewhat normal?

I’ve been cooped up far too long. I need a haircut badly. I ran out of my favourite lemonade that I can only get at Costco in Bellingham. I really want to get back to goalie coaching, I haven’t been off the ice this long in years.
Haircut
Like most of us, community columnist Brad Sherwin can't wait to do something 'normal' like get a haircut once some of the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

I’ve been cooped up far too long. I need a haircut badly. I ran out of my favourite lemonade that I can only get at Costco in Bellingham. I really want to get back to goalie coaching, I haven’t been off the ice this long in years. I think I forget how to drive my car.

But we won’t re-emerge until we can all be safe again, especially for those who would be most severely affected by the virus.

I try not to watch too much TV on COVID-19 any more, it’s just too much doom and gloom. The message always comes across as “we are going to be like this for a long time,” but the following week we start to hear about coming out of it. I guess we can’t blame anyone for inconsistent information because it’s all a big unknown, even day to day.

In this age of little freedom, I look for things I can control and celebrate. I have a list of things that needed fixing around the house that I’m working through, albeit slowly. Don’t want to over-exert myself after all this sitting around. Even mowing the lawn has a certain celebratory quality to it.

I had a neighbour that needed his fence fixed, so I helped out, as did another neighbour. We did our best to keep our distances, even though we’ve seen each other for weeks and none of us are showing symptoms. In the end, we fixed the fence and it looked great. As one of the gents commented, “That’s the first time I’ve felt normal in a long time.” OK, back in the house you go!

So what is it going to take to get things opened up? What would I be willing to do to be able to get back on the ice, to meet a friend or to see my family? How are we going to become a society again?

My guess is people are already getting a little tired of this, and enforcing a lockdown is going to get harder and harder. Some are already defying the orders, hopefully doing what they can to keep the distancing dance going. Once things open up, I think it will be really difficult to get people to do this a second time. We have to find a way to get back to life and deal with the virus at the same time.

How does that play out? Is it mass testing? Selective isolation for vulnerable communities? Mandatory masks? Tracking software on your phone to contact trace should there be a confirmed case?

Personally, I’m in the “do what you gotta do” category. Google already tells me where I’ve been last month, so there’s no privacy there. I wrote about wearing a mask, so I’d be a hypocrite for not wearing one. I’m really not looking forward to have a swab shoved up my nose, but if that’s what it takes, have at it. Anything to open things up.

I really need a haircut. I never looked good in a mullet.

Brad Sherwin, MBA is a long-time resident of South Delta, and has over 30 years’ experience in marketing, public relations and business strategy. He teaches marketing at Douglas College, coaches hockey goalies and is past president of Deltassist.