Canada has been through many major changes since the COVID-19 pandemic descended upon us in early 2020. With the Pfitzer and Moderna vaccines beginning to circulate in the country, it is only a matter of time before life moves on from extreme restrictions, lockdowns, and isolation to something not quite like what life used to be, but an acceptable normality nonetheless.
This ‘new normal’ is going to be different, but I am hopeful that 2021 will be the year we as Canadians learn that changing what we consider normal isn’t always a bad thing.
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It’s no question that many members of younger generations are ready to get as many doses of the vaccine as needed if it means they can once again hang out with their friends, go to parties, and come together for concerts and other large gatherings. From TikTok trends to viral tweets supporting the introduction of a vaccine and opposing misconceptions about vaccinations, it’s clear many young people are enthusiastic about doing anything they can to return to a somewhat normal life.
While three out of four Canadians plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it’s widely available, that still renders many people wary and unwilling to get vaccinated. Though this statistic may be a bit worrying, coming from someone who wants to get vaccinated, I believe that their suspicion surrounding the vaccine is understandable.
People are scared of new things, and there is still so much we don’t know. For instance, according to the federal government, there is currently no evidence to support the medium- and long-term efficacy of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (though trials are ongoing). While the mRNA vaccine is close to 95 per cent effective on a short-term basis, many people cannot look past all the uncertainties.
Although we will still be able to achieve a high degree of herd immunity (a state in which most of a population is immune to a sickness, since many have been vaccinated and the illness is not able to spread as easily), this does not mean that life will return to what it was before the pandemic—and that’s okay.
Whether this means we’ll have to hold off on Osheaga as we once knew it for a few more years, or that wearing masks in enclosed spaces will remain mandatory in Ontario for longer than expected, no one can say for sure yet. And while I don’t know what life will look like once enough people are immunized for the country to start its transition to whatever normalcy is possible under the circumstances, I can speculate on how people will react and adapt to it.
People were forced to learn a lot about themselves in 2020 while in isolation. We had nothing but time for a lot of self-reflection, especially during the first few months of the pandemic. One thing that many people learned was that even the most introverted humans are, deep down, truly social creatures. Due to mandated restrictions, the face-to-face interactions that we do receive are very limited, brief, and lack physical touch—making them wholly unsatisfying.
Although many of us might be desperate to once again hug vulnerable loved ones we’ve kept at a distance during the pandemic, even as these restrictions are lifted, it is likely the time spent keeping our distance from others will probably render us more than a little cautious during these interactions, lasting anything from a few days for some to a couple years for others. Even when the government and health experts declare it safe to be around others again, it is likely that some restrictions will remain in place for quite some time in order to ensure Canadians are kept safe in the off chance that the vaccine is not as effective as necessary.
However, given the resilience demonstrated by so many of us during the pandemic, the new normal of a ‘post-pandemic’ world in which restrictions remain semi-permanent and Canadians are still plagued by COVID-19-related habits and anxieties, I am confident we will prevail. We don’t need a pre-pandemic normal to be happy, as many of us managed to find small joys even during the pandemic’s worst periods. We simply need a normal in which Canadians realize changing how we understand what’s normal is not only necessary, but it’s also not a bad thing.
Though we may not be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder on a crowded city bus, or attend a jam-packed blockbuster showing at the movie theatre, that doesn’t mean our new normal can’t see the return of in-person lectures, the success of small businesses, and other aspects of pre-pandemic life. But in order for Canadians to take advantage of the freedoms we’ll have once we’ve been vaccinated, we’ll need to change what we consider to be normal.
No matter where 2021 takes us, we have already come so far and learned so much during the pandemic. Life is not going to be the same—at least not in the short-term—but we should welcome this change if we wish to take full advantage of it.
Featured image by Spencer Colby. Infographics by Pascale Malenfant.
