What was meant by 'normal' in the past? No protection measures to be taken? Shaking hands, hug and kiss, wash hands when visibly dirty, and use the mask in risky situations? The folk did not know or use the mask at all. All of these entered our lives with the outbreak of New Coronary Virus Disease (COVID-19). Many social habits had to change with the 'New Normals'. We had to shelter our habits such as hugging, kissing, embracing, seeing the soldier, hugging the married person and visiting the patient; and getting used to the new situation. Because we should live as contactless as possible. It is necessary to change the way of greetings, forget even shaking hands, and take hugs and kisses out of our lives for a long time.

The mask will continue to be in our lives for months. When we go out, we will continue to live with the mask in collective places and we will get used to it. Although it is not compulsory to wear it alone when traveling in the car, wearing a mask will become a habit as soon as we get out of the car. If the key in the car is not forgotten, wearing a mask will not also be forgotten. In the new normal; we have to form a habit of pull the handbrake, take the key and put the mask on. This should be made routine. Habits need to be changed in this direction. We know that this virus will not disappear when the weather gets warmer. Maybe its frequency may decrease, this microorganism may be felt less intensely in life, the number of people who fall ill and die will decrease, but the virus will not disappear completely. Even in the second risky period which is September-October, it will be accompanied by masks and hand washes.

The opening of shopping malls is perceived by many as if a certain critical period is over. Many people think that everything returned to normal, like the period before the COVID-19 outbreak, but that would be a huge mistake. If the shopping malls are too crowded, as in the period before the epidemic, a much larger epidemic will be waiting for us than the COVID-19 outbreak in February and March in June-July. As the traffic increases gradually and the weather gets colder, we may experience a second and bigger attack in autumn.

There is no need for the society to have the disease and become immune for the outbreak to end. In other words, a thought like "I will be sick anyway, let's get over it when the weather is hot, be immune" should not be in anyone. It is also possible to get rid of the epidemic without this virus. Take these micro-organisms of all people living in Turkey do not have any obligation to the patient. For this reason, “Shopping malls are opened, everything is back to normal, never mind the mask and social distance is not necessary. Let me run to shopping malls, walk around the stores, I will get the virus, and the numbers that have already passed are falling. I would have had it, I would have been immune. ” Unless it is mandatory, you should not go to a shopping mall or any store.

If there is a necessity to go to the shopping mall, it should definitely wear a mask and should not approach anyone more than 1.5 meters, and should be walked while maintaining social distance. Here, the most important task falls on store owners. One of the store employees must be in front of the door, the customer must be taken in order according to the size of the square meter, and new people must not be taken before the shopping inside ends. Alcohol-based hand disinfection must be extended while the customer is taken to the store. The mask must be checked, or the store owner must give it to the customer.

Attention should also be paid to the use of shared restrooms in shopping malls. A guard should keep a watch on the door, if there are 8 toilets inside, 4 people should be taken in the form of a full empty one, the new person should be allowed when a person comes out, and people should never accumulate in the corridor. It should be the same for hand washing.

Maintaining the physical distance in hairdressers and hairdressers, both customers and employees must wear a mask. Since there is a close contact with the customer, while making manicure or hair, care should be taken to maintain the distance in cleaning-beauty procedures such as skin care-epilation. When applying to the face, the customer and the practitioner must wear a mask. Of course, they should sit by washing their hands. If a person feels a symptom of himself, he should never go anyway.

Even if there is no COVID-19 outbreak, common items in hairdressers, hairdressers and beauty salons must be sterilized to prevent contamination of any other microorganism. It should be sterilized by putting it in special sterilizers after using it in a person. In order to protect from Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, blood-contaminated towels need to be washed in a washing machine with detergent at high temperatures under the responsibility of barber-hairdressers. Business owners should pay attention to cleaning common materials.

Dr. Songül Özer

Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Specialist