Many people feel as though the pandemic is tearing our world apart. even though some people are finding it hard to be trapped in a house with the same person (or persons) difficult, others are suffering from loneliness, as not everyone has a family or companion to share a living space with. This has led to some very creative solutions that may be safe to help people regain the social element of their lives.
One restaurant in Italy is testing out a type of plexiglass divider that may actually catch on, or at least if it successfully prevents the transmission of COVID-19. The separator makes for a less intimate dinner date, and they’re not sure how sound will travel through especially if people are also wearing a face mask. “Less intimate” is putting it nicely though, because from the image in the original news source, it looks more like visiting an inmate in prison! However, currently I’d take that over not being able to have dinner with the person at all. (SOURCE)
Meanwhile neighboring families have built a section of transparent fence that lets them socialize while still socially distancing. They did this by removing some panels from their shared steel fence and replacing them with transparent poly-carbonate, creating a see-through area. Now they take turns making bonfires in their respective backyards, all safely behind a layer of thick plastic. (SOURCE)
This may seem kind of a weird way to share social experiences, but what if this became the new “normal”? Sure it would feel weird at first, just like how seeing people only through Skype was weird for me a few weeks ago. But like anything else, we’ll adjust. These are not necessarily things that “will” happen, but are at least being tested out to offer possible solutions that could provide the sense of normalcy that many are seeking.