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Canada faces months, not weeks, of life under lockdown – in some form or other. It will be a long while before we return to normal.

IF we return to normal. One lesson of the COVID-19 crisis is that, perhaps, we shouldn’t.

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A simple example: shaking hands. By now, we know not to do this while the novel coronavirus potentially prowls our epidermis. And we know that if we sneeze, we should direct the discharge into our sleeves. But this advice is given every flu season, and people often ignore it. What if it were to become a permanent practice? We’d all benefit, year-round. There are respectful greeting alternatives, after all: joining one’s palms, placing your hand on your heart, and so on.

Socially distanced, many folk have started to phone, FaceTime or text frequently with relatives they can’t visit in person. When face-to-face contact eventually returns, we might like to normalize that extra effort.