Since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, new “civic activities” have now been accepted as normal. We find these activities being performed in this “new normal” way of living as a direct result of the pandemic.
The most obvious civic activity that has arisen from this pandemic is wearing a mask in public and respecting social distancing guidelines. By wearing a mask, people are acknowledging the civic commonplace that the safety and protection of the greater community are more important than any minor inconvenience. Although some people disagree with this sentiment, those who do wear masks are exhibiting this commonplace. Especially at the beginning of the pandemic during quarantine, people who posted on social media for hanging out with friends were called out for being selfish and reckless. This shows that many people had adapted this new notion that staying at home during quarantine is a civic activity and those who do not respect that activity are also not respecting the commonplace of keeping each other safe despite the inconvenience.
Another civic activity that has arisen since the pandemic is trying to buy from local small businesses, as opposed to large corporations. Because of the pandemic, a lot of local businesses are struggling, especially those in the food industry. From what I noticed with the people in my town, a lot of people are trying to dine at local restaurants instead of larger chain restaurants. I’ve also noticed that people are trying to purchase more products from websites like Etsy when they can to support a local artist or just someone trying to make an additional salary as a result of losing their main source of income. Personally, I think that this is a really interesting civic activity that has arisen from the pandemic. Supporting these local businesses relates to the civic commonplace that communities need to come together in times of need.
Staying informed and up to date with the news is not a new civic activity, but it is definitely a much more practiced one since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. Checking the guidelines and updates of the CDC and health professionals in particular is definitely something new that is being practiced. Between the constant update of information that the public is receiving about the pandemic, as well as the excess of leisure time many have because of the stay at home order, more and more people are staying up to date with the news. I myself have found the news tab on my computer open at all times as well as the new channels on the TV in the background too. Staying informed, particularly about the pandemic as well as with information from reputable health sources, exhibits the commonplace that staying informed is a civic duty and can help us make more informed decisions in the future. Nowadays, we assume that people have seen the recent coronavirus case reports as well as the new mandates that open or close indoor dining, for example. We currently live in a world where we expect everyone around us to have the same new information, and therefore assume that everyone is also in touch with new sources regularly.