Compiled by Erica Wright
We asked Birmingham-area residents, what does returning to normal look like for you?
Noah Lewis: “Being able to go back to the gym and not having to wear these face masks anymore . . . being out in Railroad Park [wanting] to see people be able to sit down in the park and have picnics and enjoy being outside because right now all you can do is exercise [in the park].”
Gilberto Herrera: “When office spaces open back up, when our small businesses can get back into their space and serve clients that they are used to serving and recirculating our dollar locally the way it should be . . . When people aren’t scared to leave their home is when it will be normal because even with businesses opening back up some people will take precautions and not [come out].”
Pamela Amerson: “I don’t see myself returning to normal because everything has completely changed, my entire life. My (seven-year-old) son has gotten used to me being at home and [that’s helped] with his behavior, [being home has] taken a lot of stress off me as well because I was having some issues going to work, school and my car was down . . . and I’m the only person he has… my perspective of how the world used to work [changed] because it’s all different now.”
Meagan Joseph: “For me, a new normal [is] where I give pause more often and reflect more often and am more grateful for the simple things I didn’t realize I was taking for granted before . . .even being in the park today, I’m moving a little bit slower and taking in my surroundings and it’s really nice to see people again… it mostly looks like what life prior to COVID-19 looked like.”
