A NEW NORMAL FOR THE BETTERMENT OF LIFE

The world has been facing a major revelation as the Coronavirus Disease 2019 or
Covid-19 pandemic broke out since a few months ago causing the lifestyle that humankind
was used to drastically change. Although they are many countries were able to fight against
the odds and able to control the unforeseen situation in their respective country, many are still
struggling with the spreading of Covid-19 and the most problematic matter, to survive
without attaining this virus until an effective and easily accessible vaccine can be found. In
this case, the survival method that has become a part of lives all around the world is known as
the new norm. The new norm has not only helped and helping to halt the spreading of Covid-
19 but also keeps people safe from many types of virus and bacteria-based health risks.
However, why is the new norm still applied in Malaysia when we have succeeded in
preventing the spread of Covid-19 effectively? The answer lies within the purpose of the
introduction of a new norm which is to curb the wildfire-like spreading of viruses and also
acts as a consistent practice to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The Malaysian government has been carrying out various initiatives to handle the
post-Covid-19 pandemic situation to avoid another phase of the outbreak of the virus in our
country. Wearing masks in public and places where social distancing could not be applied has
been mandatory and is considered illegal to do otherwise. A 3 layered medical mask is known
as the most effective way to stop the virus contamination through breathing air. Citizens who
are unable to wear a mask due to health issues or infants younger than 2 years old are advised
to not be exposed in public areas. Moreover, all the business owners especially sales and
services-based ones have to follow Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) given by the
government to run their businesses during the post-pandemic era. A few of the given
procedures are to check the visitor's or customer’s temperature and record them for future
use. They are too required to provide sanitisers and sanitise the shops before opening.

Other new norms that are being applied throughout the country is to maintain physical
distancing among citizens. The virus is known to travel in the air for a distance of 1 meter
before attaching itself to any other surfaces. Thus, leaving a safe gap of 1 meter with anyone
in the public is considered as an ideal way to maintain a physical distancing. Physical
distancing, wearing masks, and sanitisers may help in combating the virus but the most
effective way to avoid contracting Covid-19 is to avoid physical interaction and
communication. Thus, the best new norm is to avoid crowded areas and any social activities
to the outmost. Recreational activities such as jogging and visiting the local park are allowed
yet people should not disobey the procedures that are being implemented by the government
for any reason.

The new norm practices that are mentioned above are basic protocols that were
released by the government to be implemented by the citizens. However, certain practices
have been going on among citizens that are not necessarily been implemented by the
government but more towards the self-initiative of the society to deal with the post-pandemic
situation. The most commonly seen practice among citizens is to reduce their daily expenses.
This is mostly because of unemployment that increased during the pandemic due to
Movement Control Order (MCO). This situation has caused many to lose jobs due to being
expelled by the business owners to cut costs or businesses shutting down as there were nearly
no customers due to the movement restriction. People also started to understand the
importance of saving money as may be suffered from not having enough emergency funding
for their daily expenses.

Many started to have home meals as many restaurants are shut down or only
providing take away. Malaysians too started to prioritise their personal and surrounding
hygiene to avoid themselves from contracting the viruses or any other type of infection.
Nevertheless, the most commonly seen new norm practice among Malaysians especially
students and employees who are working from home is to use technology in the teaching and
learning process as well as for meetings and conferences. The government has been providing
educational platforms online for students and teachers to use to carry out their teaching and
learning process. Free internet data are also currently being provided to Malaysian citizens by
the government to be used for their daily online based activities such as video chatting for
conferences and meetings. This has led to optimum technology usage among Malaysians
which is a great opportunity to explore more about the IT world.

While discussing the new norm, one of the main matters that has to be discussed is
how does it impact our daily lives and the economy of our country. As we all may already
know, there are both good and bad impacts of the new norm post-Covid-19 on our daily lives.
One of the definite benefits is practicing a new norm prevents the third wave of Covid-19
infection and any other type of viral infection. The new norm can also help us to improve our
daily lives by having good hygiene practices and makes sure that our living habits are
improved as well such as having good spending habits and saving money. Looking at the
brighter side, we are also indirectly improving ourselves on handling technologies that make
our life more efficient and comfortable. Overall, the new norm has provided an ideal lifestyle
for any human being to handle the post-pandemic situation.

Nevertheless, people are also suffering from these newly implemented practices and
due to the post-pandemic situation. Many surveys have shown that mental health in the past
few months has slowly decreased which may be caused due to overall stress involved in
handling the situation and also coping with financial issues. Many have been losing jobs and
struggling financially. Our nation’s economy has also crashed tremendously during the
pandemic and still in the recovery process. Thus, it is fine to say that the post-pandemic
situation is not peaceful either. There are many programs by government and non-
government organizations to provide aid for those who are struggling for various reasons
during the post-pandemic.

In conclusion, the new norm post-Covid-19 has thought us many valuable lessons on
how to handle ourselves during pandemics and the importance of humanity. It also made us
realise how important human communication is and taught us the value of freedom that we
had before the pandemic. Meeting your loved ones was nearly impossible during the
pandemic, thus making us appreciate them more and value the people around us. People do
realise the importance of something when it is no longer around us. We realised the
importance of freedom, love, people, money, and most importantly, good health to live the
life that we always dreamed of. For now, all we can do is hope a cure can be found as soon as
possible for this viral infection and the situation can go back to how it was before the
pandemic outbreak. Until then, let us hope for the best and go through this new norm post-
Covid-19 together and break our nation free from Covid-19.

(1219 words)