Since the pandemic has struck, new “civic activities” have definitely risen. The Corona Virus outbreak changed the dynamic of the world. Life was altered for citizens socially, physically, and economically. The world basically went into lockdown. People started working from home, attending school through a screen, and going into public with a mask over their faces. Once the pandemic erupted, people were faced with new “civic activities” and duties to fulfill. It became socially unacceptable to go into a grocery store not wearing a mask or a movie theater. Many stores would not allow you to enter without wearing a mask. Schools around America forced you to wear a mask in the classroom. This depended on the governor and their state legislation. For example, most students in Florida did not wear a mask in school, whereas my mask mandate only ended in February in Connecticut. Another example of a “civic” activity people had to execute was getting the Covid vaccine. While getting the vaccine was not mandatory, people expected you to for the safety of yourself and others. Most universities adopted regulations that you could only attend their school if you had gotten the vaccine. In addition, The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene of New York City enacted a workplace vaccine mandate for all private businesses in New York City. However, this ended on November 1. Although, businesses can still require proof of vaccination or masking indoors if they choose.

The quantity of mortality linked to Covid-19 is the starkest indicator of the pandemic’s impact. By the end of 2021, more than 5 million documented deaths associated with the virus had occurred worldwide, including more than 827,000 in the United States (Our World In Data 2021). The health and economic status of different countries around the world due to Covid-19 depended on the responsibility of their patrons. Italy was hit brutally by the pandemic. In reaction, on March 9, 2020, the government of Italy, led by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, implemented a nationwide lockdown or quarantine, limiting people’s ability to move outside of need, work, and health-related situations. Another country that suffered drastically from the rise and spread of the pandemic was China. In an effort to contain the Covid-19 outbreak’s epicenter, the Chinese central government enforced a lockdown in Wuhan and adjacent cities in Hubei on January 23, 2020. The surrounding cities of Huanggang and Ezhou also had travel restrictions within hours of the lockdown in Wuhan, and eventually, all 15 of Hubei’s cities experienced them as well, affecting a total of nearly 57 million people. The reason for the lockdowns and the total number of fatalities is of course due to the cruel severity of the virus, but more importantly, how the citizens handled and reacted to it. When people do not fulfill their “civic activities” according to the pandemic, deaths increase which forced countries into lockdown. On the other hand, Sweden responded to the pandemic extremely well. Covid-19 vaccines in Sweden began in December 2020. At the end of March 2022, 87% of those aged 12 and older had received at least two doses of the vaccine. 62% of people who were 18 or older had received all three doses of the vaccine. 

The civic commonplaces that these “civic activities” embody were that mostly everyone agreed to get the vaccine and to stick with the mask mandate. Commonplaces are typically a non-original (common) concept, rule, phrase, or item that can be found anywhere (or any place). Social norms can be connected to commonplaces. The social norm of wearing a mask and getting the vaccine during the Covid-19 pandemic is a perfect example of a civic commonplace.