waiting

to remain stationary in readiness or expectation

"once everything goes back to normal" people say without pause.. 

what is normal anyway and who is it for?

normal
nor·​mal | \ ˈnȯr-məl
conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern:
characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine

is this the same normal that has destroyed the planet, created unprecedented
inequality, with over 2 million people locked up, our roads flooding,
and our forests burning?
waiting
ˈwādiNG
to pause for another to catch up —usually used with up

Andrew Cuomo - the COVID Daddy - New York Governor - instituted a "pause"
orderon March 20th, 2020 that pertained to everyone except essential workers.
essential
es·​sen·​tial | \ i-ˈsen(t)-shəl
something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable
Since March, 192 thousand people have died of COVID-19.. many of them
essential workers.
 
According to the state of New York
Essential Workers include:
1. Essential health care operations including
research and laboratory services
hospitals
walk-in-care health clinics and facilities
veterinary and livestock medical services
senior/elder care
medical wholesale and distribution
home health care workers or aides for the elderly
doctors and doctors’ offices
dentists and dental practices
nursing homes, residential health care facilities, or congregate
care facilities
medical supplies and equipment manufacturers and providers
licensed mental health providers
licensed substance abuse treatment providers
medical billing support personnel
speech pathologists and speech therapy
chiropractic services
acupuncture
physical therapy
occupational therapy
 
2. Essential infrastructure including
public and private utilities including but not limited to power
generation, fuel supply, and transmission
public water and wastewater
telecommunications and data centers
airlines/airports
commercial shipping vessels/ports and seaports
transportation infrastructure such as bus, rail, for-hire vehicles,
garages
hotels, and other places of accommodation, including campgrounds.
Campgrounds must take precautions to ensure campers maintain appropriate
social distancing and adhere to proper cleaning and disinfecting
protocols, including but not limited to maintaining six feet of distance
between campers, unless wearing an acceptable face covering, excluding
persons from the same household who are camping together.
 

3. Essential manufacturing including
food processing, manufacturing agents including all foods and beverages
chemicals
medical equipment/instruments
pharmaceuticals
sanitary products including personal care products regulated by the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
telecommunications
microelectronics/semi-conductor
food-producing agriculture/farms
household paper products
defense industry and the transportation infrastructure
automobiles
any parts or components necessary for essential products that are
referenced within this guidance
 
4. Essential retail including
grocery stores including all food and beverage stores
pharmacies
convenience stores
farmer’s markets
gas stations
restaurants/bars (but only for take-out/delivery)
hardware, appliance, and building material stores
pet food
telecommunications to service existing customers and accounts
in regions that are not yet within the first phase of the state's
regional reopening plan, delivery for orders placed remotely via phone
or online at non-essential retail establishments; provided, however,
that only one employee is physically present at the business location
to fulfill orders


5. Essential services including
trash and recycling collection, processing, and disposal
mail and shipping services
laundromats and other clothing/fabric cleaning services
building cleaning and maintenance
child care services
bicycle repair
auto repair and maintenance
automotive sales conducted remotely or electronically, with in-person
vehicle showing, return, and delivery by appointment only
warehouse/distribution and fulfillment
funeral homes, crematoriums and cemeteries
storage for essential businesses
maintenance for the infrastructure of the facility or to maintain or
safeguard materials or products therein
animal shelters and animal care including dog walking, animal boarding
and pet grooming but only to the extent necessary to ensure animal
health
landscaping, gardening and horticulture 
designing, printing, publishing and signage companies to the extent that
they support essential businesses or services
remote instruction or streaming of classes from public or
private schools or health/fitness centers; provided, however, that no
in-person congregate classes are permitted

6. News media
7. Financial Institutions including
banks or lending institution
insurance
payroll
accounting
services related to financial markets, except debt collection

8. Providers of basic necessities to economically disadvantaged populations
including
homeless shelters and congregate care facilities
food banks
human services providers whose function includes the direct care of
patients in state-licensed or funded voluntary programs; the care,
protection, custody and oversight of individuals both in the community
and in state-licensed residential facilities; those operating community
shelters and other critical human services agencies providing direct
care or support


9. Construction 

All non-essential construction is limited to only staging activities in regions

that are not yet within the first phase of the state’s reopening plan, except

emergency construction, (e.g. a project necessary to protect health and safety

of the occupants, or to continue a project if it would be unsafe to allow to

remain undone, but only to the point that it is safe to suspend work).
Essential construction includes:
construction for, or your business provides necessary support for

construction projects involving, roads, bridges, transit facilities,

utilities, hospitals or healthcare facilities, homeless shelters, or

publicor private schools;
construction for affordable housing, as defined as construction work where either

(i) a minimum of 20% of the residential units are or will be deemed affordable and

are or will be subject to a regulatory agreement and/or a declaration from a local,

state, or federal government agency or (ii) where the project is being undertaken by,

or on behalf of, a public housing authority;
construction necessary to protect the health and safety of occupants of a structure;
construction necessary to continue a project if allowing the project to remain

undone would be unsafe, provided that the construction must be shut down when it

is safe to do so;
construction for existing (i.e. currently underway) projects of an essential

business; or
construction work that is being completed by a single worker who is the sole

employee/worker on the job site.
At every site, it is required that the personnel working on the site

maintain an appropriate social distance, including for purposes of

elevators/meals/entry and exits.  Sites that cannot maintain appropriate social

distancing, as well as cleaning/disinfecting protocols must close. Enforcement

will be conducted by state and local governments, including fines up to

$10,000 per violation.
Construction may continue solely with respect to those employees that must be present at

the business location/construction site in support of essential business activities. No other

employees/personnel shall be permitted to work in-person at the business location/construction

site. For staging activities, an in-person workforce may be present on-site to:
Clean, sanitize, and/or disinfect common and work areas;
Test run hoists, elevators, cranes, and other equipment;
Establish new and multiple entrances/exists to control

the movement of personnel and allow for health screening,

including temperature taking;
Install hand hygiene/wash stations or retrofit existing ones with

touchless faucets and dispensers;
Install health screening stations or devices at entrances;
Affix social distancing, hygiene, and cleaning/disinfection signage,

including posters, markers, and directional arrows;
Deliver and stockpile personal protective equipment

(e.g. face coverings, face shields, gloves); and
Order, unload, and rough set materials that specialty contractors

or subcontractors need to perform work (e.g. structural supports, piping,

conduits, drywall).
As noted above, local governments, including municipalities and

school districts, are allowed to continue construction projects at this time

as government entities are exempt from these essential business restrictions.

However, to the greatest extent possible, local governments should postpone any

non-essential projects and only proceed with essential projects when they can

implement appropriate social distancing and cleaning/disinfecting protocols.

Essential projects should be considered those that have a nexus to health and

safety of the building occupants or to support the broader essential services

that are required to fulfill the critical operations of government or the

emergency response to the COVID-19 public health crisis.
10. Defense
defense and national security-related operations supporting the

U.S. Government or a contractor to the US government


11. Essential services necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential

operations of residences or other businesses including
law enforcement, including corrections and community supervision
fire prevention and response
building code enforcement
security
emergency management and response, EMS and 911 dispatch
building cleaners or janitors
general and specialized maintenance whether employed by the entity directly

or a vendor, including but not limited to heating, ventilation, and

air conditioning (HVAC) and pool maintenance
automotive repair
cleaning, disinfection, and sanitation services
occupational safety and health professionals
residential and commercial moving services

12. Vendors that provide essential services or products, including

logistics and technology support, child care and services including

but not limited to:
logistics
technology support for online services
child care programs and services
government owned or leased buildings
essential government services
any personnel necessary for online or distance learning or classes delivered

via remote means


13. Recreation
Parks and other open public spaces, including playgrounds and other areas

of congregation within the discretion of the state or local government so long as

appropriate social distancing of at least six feet among individuals can be abided,

acceptable face coverings are worn by individuals who are over the age of two and able

to medically tolerate such coverings, and frequent cleaning/disinfection measures are

in place for hard surfaces and objects frequently touched by multiple people

(e.g., handrails, benches)
Outdoor, low-risk recreational activities are permitted so long as social distancing

and cleaning/disinfecting measures are in place:
tennis;
non-motorized boat use and rentals, such as row boats, kayaks, canoes; 
golf and driving ranges, except miniature (mini) golf, with food and retail

services subject to the restrictions that are currently in effect within
the region;
racket games, such as badminton, pickleball, racquetball;
toss/bowl games, such horseshoes, bocce, bean bag toss, croquet;
flying disc games, such as disc golf and frisbee;
shuffleboard;
aerial rope courses or zip lining;
rope courses including aerial rope courses;
batting cages;
shooting ranges; and
swim classes and swim instruction.

Drive-in movie theaters so long as social distancing and cleaning/disinfecting

measures are in place
Marinas, boatyards, and recreational marine manufacturers, for ongoing marina

operations and boat repair/maintenance, where such facilities adhere to strict

social distancing and sanitization protocols. In regions that are not within the

first phase of the state's regional reopening plan, use of such sites for the purposes

of personal use or operation of boats or other watercraft is permissible, provided

that no establishment offer chartered motorized watercraft services or motorized

boat rentals. Restaurant activity at such sites are limited to take-out or delivery only.

14. Professional services with extensive restrictions
Lawyers may continue to perform all work necessary for any service so long as it

is performed remotely.  Any in-person work presence shall be limited to work only in

support of essential businesses or services; however, even work in support of an

essential business or service should be conducted as remotely as possible.
Real estate services shall be conducted remotely for all transactions, including

but not limited to title searches, appraisals, permitting, inspections, and the

recordation, legal, financial and other services necessary to complete a transfer of

real property; provided, however, that any services and parts therein may be conducted

in-person only to the extent legally necessary and in accordance with appropriate

social distancing and cleaning/disinfecting protocols; and nothing within this

provision should be construed to allow brokerage and branch offices to remain open

to the general public (i.e. not clients).