By: Grace Gilson
Out with the Old:
At the beginning of the pandemic, news from Dr. Fauci himself said that the coronavirus would be the end of the handshake was shocking. At that time, I was more concerned about this than anything else involving Covid-19. This custom had existed for centuries! How were we going to replace it with a COVID safe tradition? Would the replacement be temporary? Although this news has faded to the back as other pieces of Coronavirus news take precedence, we are still left to wonder whether the handshake will truly be a remnant of the past, and what will replace this age-old introduction?
Staying the Same:
Since the bottom half of our faces must be covered with a mask for safety reasons, and we cannot get closer than 6 feet to people outside our immediate family, eye contact has an even more important role in everyday life now. Additionally, articulating is extremely important. Since the mask muffles some of our words, we need to make sure we are talking clearly, and even over exaggerating words in conversation.
In with the New:
Of course, the mask seems like it is a part of daily life now. If you are leaving your house, it is always good to have a mask with you. But, how should you tell someone who is not wearing a mask to put one on? One source I read said, do not hesitate to approach someone and say, “Hey, If you have not heard, you need to wear a mask to mitigate the spread of Covid-19; here I have an extra.”
• Social Distancing-Social distancing is hard. 6 feet seems like an extremely long distance. …
• Zoom Etiquette- At the beginning of 2020, I never would have dreamed that in October, I would be writing about Zoom, a platform I had used once before for meeting with someone in another country, but, here we are. On zoom:
• It is good practice to keep your camera on as much as possible.
• Stay on mute unless you are talking
• Try to keep just your zoom window open to minimize distractions and maintain battery
• Mind your background- both background noise and what is in your background
• Try to look into the camera
• Join a little bit early, in case of technical difficulties
Sources/additional reading:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/09/10/covid19-etiquette-guide-faq/?arc404=true
https://athelp.sfsu.edu/hc/en-us/articles/360044451294-Zoom-call-etiquette
https://www.wsj.com/articles/seven-rules-of-zoom-meeting-etiquette-from-the-pros-11594551601
HB IN RETROSPECT 